Ramayana story 4
The Famous Battle between Ram and Ravan
Ravan decided that it was time that he took matters into his own hands. All his brave generals and warriors had been defeated and he had lost both his brother and his son. Ravan donned his armour and prepared to go into battle. Ravan’s entrance on the battleground was a truly awe-inspiring sight. Clad in dazzling armour made of solid gold and encrusted with precious jewels, Ravan mounted his chariot drawn by four magnificent black horses. With his ten heads and countless arms, Ravan’s appearance was fearsome enough to strike terror in the hearts of the bravest soldiers.
The monkey folk made a valiant attempt to attack the terrible demon, but their stones and boulders rolled off his body like water off a duck’s back. Ravan’s flaming arrows depleted the monkey ranks and unleashed terror in their hearts. Laxman rushed forward to help his monkey friends, but Ravan struck him down with a powerful thunderbolt. Ram feared for his brother’s life when he saw him lying senseless in a pool of blood.
Again the monkeys proved themselves resourceful in a crisis. They told Ram that they knew of some medicinal herbs that could save Laxman’s life. The only stumbling block was that these herbs were only available far away in the Himalayas. Ram’s heart sank. This was as good as having no cure at all. How would they able to collect the herbs from such a distant place and return before Laxman breathed his last?
Hanuman saved the situation one again. He was swift as the wind and immensely strong. He flew up into the air and disappeared in the direction of the Himalayas. When Hanuman landed on the mountain, he found a million different varieties of herbs. He had no idea which were the right ones that would save Laxman’s life. Hanuman felt that the only solution to this quandary was to pick up the whole mountain and take it to the plain where Laxman lay. That is exactly what he did! Once Hanuman returned to Lanka with the mountain in the palm of his hand, the monkey folk quickly went to work to revive Laxman. They made a potion out of the herbs and made Laxman inhale the vapours. The potion worked like magic and the strength quickly began seeping back into Laxman’s body.
Ram decided that it was time that he took on the terrible Ravan in battle. Both the warriors were evenly matched and both had access to secret powerful weapons. Neither Ram nor Ravan had ever tasted the bitter fruit of defeat.. They were both masters in the use of the bow and arrow. Even the gods gathered to watch this magnificent battle. The air was thick with arrows flying in both directions. Ravan’s twenty arms bristled with weapons that he wielded all at the same time! Every time Ram managed to cut off one of Ravan’s heads, another one would grow in its place. The monster seemed indestructible. Finally, Ram remembered the brahma-astra, a missile gifted to him by the Lord Brahma himself. Ram uttered the spell that would summon the mighty weapon. Then invoking the gods, he hurled the weapon with all his might at Ravan. A deafening roar was heard as the brahma-astra exploded and the mighty Ravan was destroyed