As often as the Lord struck off his heads, so often they sprang up without end, as new lusts grow ever more and more in a man who is devoted to his senses.

When Ravana saw the multiplication of his heads, he thought no more of his death, but waxed still more furious. The great swollen-headed fool thundered aloud and dashed out with all his ten bows strung once.

Raging wildly on the field of battle, Ravana let fly a shower of arrows and so hemmed Raghunatha’s chariot that for a moment it was quite lost to sight like the sun hidden in a mist.

When the gods raised a piteous cry, the Lord wrathfully grasped his bow, warded off the enemy’s arrows and struck off his heads, which covered all the cardinal and intermediate directions, earth and sky.

The severed heads flew through the path of the heavens and struck terror into the monkeys’ hearts with cries of ‘Victory! Victory! Where is Lakshmana? Where is Sugriva, the Monkey King? Where is Raghubira, the lord of Kosala?

‘Where is Rama?’ cried the multitudes of heads as they rushed about. The monkeys saw them and took to flight. Making ready his bow, the jewel of the house of Raghu laughed and with his arrows shot the heads through and through. Taking garlands of skulls in their hands, innumerable troops of Kalikas assembled, as though having bathed in the stream of blood, they were going to worship at the banyan of war.

Then the Ten-headed in is fury hurled forth his fearful spear, which flew straight towards Vibhishana like the bludgeon of Death.