# Araṇya Kāṇḍa 24 — Battle at Janasthāna *The army surrounds and wounds Rāma, his arrows drive it back and Dūṣaṇa rallies the survivors to attack with trees and rocks* Portion: Khara’s march and the battle at Janasthāna · Verses: 28 · Ref format: 3.24. ## Sequence - Khara sees Rāma ready at the hermitage and orders his charioteer to drive toward him → the rākṣasa leaders close around Rāma and shower him with weapons (24.1–9) - Rāma intercepts the missiles with arrows; although wounded and covered in blood, he holds his ground (24.10–13) - the Devas, gandharvas, siddhas, and maharṣis grow dismayed at seeing one man surrounded by thousands (24.14) - Rāma responds with hundreds and thousands of arrows, killing attackers and cutting through their weapons, standards, armor, and limbs (24.15–22) - more warriors throw spears, swords, and axes, which he wards off before striking them down (24.23–24) - the survivors retreat toward Khara (24.25) - Dūṣaṇa rallies and reassures them, then leads a renewed attack with uprooted trees and rocks (24.26–28). ## Verses **3.24.1** avaṣṭabdhadhanuṃ rāmaṃ kruddhaṃ ca ripughātinam dadarśāśramam āgamya kharaḥ saha puraḥsaraiḥ Coming to the hermitage, Khara, together with his vanguard, saw Rāma — his bow braced, enraged, the slayer of foes. **3.24.2** taṃ dṛṣṭvā saguṇaṃ cāpam udyamya kharaniḥsvanam rāmasyābhimukhaṃ sūtaṃ codyatām ity acodayat Seeing him, Khara raised his strung bow of harsh twang and urged his charioteer, “Drive on toward Rāma!” **3.24.3** sa kharasyājñayā sūtas turagān samacodayat yatra rāmo mahābāhur eko dhunvan dhanuḥ sthitaḥ At Khara's command, the charioteer urged on the horses to where the mighty-armed Rāma stood alone, brandishing his bow. **3.24.4** taṃ tu niṣpatitaṃ dṛṣṭvā sarve te rajanīcarāḥ nardamānā mahānādaṃ sacivāḥ paryavārayan Seeing him (Khara) sallying forth, all those night-roaming ministers, roaring a mighty roar, closed in around (Rāma). **3.24.5** sa teṣāṃ yātudhānānāṃ madhye rato gataḥ kharaḥ babhūva madhye tārāṇāṃ lohitāṅga ivoditaḥ Khara, gone into the midst of those yātudhānas and taking his stand there, appeared like Mars (the red-bodied one) risen amid the stars. **3.24.6** tatas taṃ bhīmadhanvānaṃ kruddhāḥ sarve niśācarāḥ rāmaṃ nānāvidhaiḥ śastrair abhyavarṣanta durjayam Then all the night-roamers, enraged, showered Rāma — of fearsome bow, invincible — with weapons of every kind. **3.24.7** mudgarair āyasaiḥ śūlaiḥ prāsaiḥ khaḍgaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ rākṣasāḥ samare rāmaṃ nijaghnū roṣatatparāḥ With iron mallets, spears, javelins, swords, and battle-axes, the rākṣasas, bent on fury, smote Rāma in the battle. **3.24.8** te balāhakasaṃkāśā mahānādā mahābalāḥ abhyadhāvanta kākutsthaṃ rāmaṃ yuddhe jighāṃsavaḥ Those mighty ones, like storm-clouds, of loud roar, rushed upon Kākutstha Rāma, seeking to slay him in the battle. **3.24.9** te rāme śaravarṣāṇi vyasṛjan rakṣasāṃ guṇāḥ śailendram iva dhārābhir varṣamāṇā mahādhanāḥ The foremost of the rākṣasas, mighty archers, loosed showers of arrows upon Rāma, as clouds pour streams of rain upon the king of mountains. **3.24.10** sa taiḥ parivṛto ghorai rāghavo rakṣasāṃ gaṇaiḥ tithiṣv iva mahādevo vṛtaḥ pāriṣadāṃ gaṇaiḥ Rāghava, surrounded by those dreadful hosts of rākṣasas, was like Mahādeva (Śiva) on the festival days, encircled by troops of his attendants. **3.24.11** tāni muktāni śastrāṇi yātudhānaiḥ sa rāghavaḥ pratijagrāha viśikhair nadyoghān iva sāgaraḥ Rāghava received with his arrows those weapons loosed by the yātudhānas, as the ocean receives the floods of the rivers. **3.24.12** sa taiḥ praharaṇair ghorair bhinnagātro na vivyathe rāmaḥ pradīptair bahubhir vajrair iva mahācalaḥ Though his limbs were wounded by those dreadful weapons, Rāma did not falter — like a great mountain unshaken by many blazing thunderbolts. **3.24.13** sa viddhaḥ kṣatajādigdhaḥ sarvagātreṣu rāghavaḥ babhūva rāmaḥ saṃdhyābhrair divākara ivāvṛtaḥ Rāghava, pierced and smeared with blood over all his limbs, became like the sun veiled by the twilight clouds. **3.24.14** viṣedur devagandharvāḥ siddhāś ca paramarṣayaḥ ekaṃ sahastrair bahubhis tadā dṛṣṭvā samāvṛtam The gods, gandharvas, siddhas, and supreme seers grew despondent, seeing one man then beset by many thousands. **3.24.15** tato rāmaḥ susaṃkruddho maṇḍalīkṛtakārmukaḥ sasarja niśitān bāṇāñ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ Then Rāma, greatly enraged, his bow bent into a circle, loosed sharp arrows by the hundreds and thousands. **3.24.16** durāvārān durviṣahān kālapāśopamān raṇe mumoca līlayā rāmaḥ kaṅkapatrān ajihmagān Irresistible, unbearable, like the noose of Death in battle, feathered with heron-plumes and flying straight — such arrows Rāma loosed with ease. **3.24.17** te śarāḥ śatrusainyeṣu muktā rāmeṇa līlayā ādadū rakṣasāṃ prāṇān pāśāḥ kālakṛtā iva Those arrows, loosed with ease by Rāma into the enemy hosts, took away the lives of the rākṣasas like nooses fashioned by Death. **3.24.18** bhittvā rākṣasadehāṃs tāṃs te śarā rudhirāplutāḥ antarikṣagatā rejur dīptāgnisamatejasaḥ Piercing those rākṣasa bodies, those arrows, drenched in blood, gleamed in the air, bright as blazing fire. **3.24.19** asaṃkhyeyās tu rāmasya sāyakāś cāpamaṇḍalāt viniṣpetur atīvogrā rakṣaḥ prāṇāpahāriṇaḥ Countless arrows of Rāma, exceedingly fierce, sped forth from the circle of his bow, carrying off the lives of the rākṣasas. **3.24.20** tair dhanūṃṣi dhvajāgrāṇi varmāṇi ca śirāṃsi ca bahūn sahastābharaṇān ūrūn karikaropamān With those (arrows he cut through) bows, banner-tops, and armour, and heads, and many thighs thick as elephants' trunks, with the hands and their ornaments — **3.24.21** tato nālīkanārācais tīkṣṇāgraiś ca vikarṇibhiḥ bhīmam ārtasvaraṃ cakrur bhidyamānā niśācarāḥ Then, pierced by nālīka and iron shafts, sharp-tipped and barbed, the night-roamers raised a fearful cry of anguish. **3.24.22** tat sainyaṃ niśitair bāṇair arditaṃ marmabhedibhiḥ rāmeṇa na sukhaṃ lebhe śuṣkaṃ vanam ivāgninā That army, tormented by Rāma's sharp, vital-piercing arrows, found no ease — like a dry forest set upon by fire. **3.24.23** ke cid bhīmabalāḥ śūrāḥ śūlān khaḍgān paraśvadhān cikṣipuḥ paramakruddhā rāmāya rajanīcarāḥ Some brave night-roamers of terrible strength, in utmost fury, hurled spears, swords, and battle-axes at Rāma. **3.24.24** tāni bāṇair mahābāhuḥ śastrāṇy āvārya rāghavaḥ jahāra samare prāṇāṃś ciccheda ca śirodharān Warding off those weapons with his arrows, the mighty-armed Rāghava took their lives in the battle and cut off their necks. **3.24.25** avaśiṣṭāś ca ye tatra viṣaṇṇāś ca niśācarāḥ kharam evābhyadhāvanta śaraṇārthaṃ śarārditāḥ And those night-roamers who remained there, dejected and stricken by his arrows, ran to Khara alone for refuge. **3.24.26** tān sarvān punar ādāya samāśvāsya ca dūṣaṇaḥ abhyadhāvata kākutsthaṃ kruddho rudram ivāntakaḥ Rallying all of them again and reassuring them, Dūṣaṇa rushed upon Kākutstha, enraged, like Death (Antaka) upon Rudra. **3.24.27** nivṛttās tu punaḥ sarve dūṣaṇāśrayanirbhayāḥ rāmam evābhyadhāvanta sālatālaśilāyudhāḥ All of them, turning back once more, made fearless by Dūṣaṇa's protection, rushed at Rāma, armed with sāl trees, palmyras, and rocks. **3.24.28** tad babhūvādbhutaṃ yuddhaṃ tumulaṃ romaharṣaṇam rāmasyāsya mahāghoraṃ punas teṣāṃ ca rakṣasām Then there was a marvellous, tumultuous, hair-raising, most dreadful battle between this Rāma on the one side and those rākṣasas on the other.