and, quickly mounting another chariot, wrathfully hurled missiles and other weapons of every description, but all his efforts were as fruitless as those of a man whose mind is ever intent on harming others.

Then Ravana hurled forth ten pikes, which struck the four horses of Rama’s chariot and felled them to the ground, but Raghunatha raised up his horses and drawing the bowstring, sent forth his darts in great fury.

Swarms of Raghubira’s arrows flew at Ravana’s heads as though they had been bees that haunt a lotus bed. Rama smote each of his ten heads with ten arrows, which pierced them through and through and blood gushed forth in torrents.

On rushed the mighty Ravana streaming with blood. Again the Lord fitted an arrow to his bow; thirty shafts Raghubira shot and struck all his heads and arms to the ground;

but they grew afresh as soon as they were severed. Then once more Rama struck off his heads and arms; time after time did the Lord thus smite off his arms and heads, but new ones sprang again as soon as they were blown off.

Again and again the Lord shred off his twenty arms, for very sportive is the Kosala! The whole heaven was covered with the demons’ heads and arms, like an infinite number of Ketus and Rahus.

It seemed as though multitudes of Rahus and Ketus were rushing along the path of the sky streaming with blood; hit by the dread arrows of Raghubira again and again, they could not fall to the ground. The arrows, as they flew through the sky, each transfixing set of heads, seemed like so many rays of the wrathful sun threading Rahus here and there on a string.