Rāmāyana | Āraṇya Kaṇḍa | Chapter 30
30. Khara's Death
[Rāma kills Khara and devas and sages praise him. Lakshmana and Sītā come out of the cave to join him. And those three go to their hermitage.]
Rāma who loves Dharma, after breaking that mace using his arrows, with a smile told these frustrating words top Khara. 30.1
"Oh wretched among Rākṣasas, you have now shown all your strength to me and you are roaring like a lunatic who does not have any strength." 30.2
"That mace which made you talk pompous words has fallen to the ground after it was broken by my arrows and thus your pride also has been killed." 30.3
"Your word, that you would wipe away the tears of the wives of the dead Rākṣasas, was a word of vanity of yours." 30.4
"Oh Rākṣasa who is debased, having cruel character and who behaves based on lies, I would take away your life now like the Garuda took away the pot of nectar." 30.5
"When I cut off your head using my arrow, blood would gush out along with froth and foam and the earth would drink your blood." 30.6
"With blood coating all over your body, with both your arms severed, you would sleep embracing the earth like one who was trying to get an impossible lady." 30.7
"Oh notorious Rākṣasa after you start that sleep of yours, this Daṇḍaka forest will start supporting those sages who do not have any support." 30.8
"When my arrows make Janasṭhāna [place of people] in to the place of death by killing your Rākṣasas, the sages would wander fearlessly all over the forest." 30.9
"With all their relatives being killed the Rākṣasīs who were scaring others would run away from here with tear stained face, being pitiable due to fear." 30.10
"The wife of the Rākṣasa who was killed must be from a similar clan like yours and would be enjoying from sorrow of others so that their life is meaningless." 30.11
"Since you are atrocious in conduct, a cruel person and one who daily kills Brahmins, apprehensive about you the sages pour the oblations in fire with hesitation." 30.12
In the war when Rāma was thus impetuously talking like this to Khara started to intimidate due to anger and started talking to him in a braying tone. 30.13
"Even though surrounded by fear, you are a fearless man and though under the grip of death you are haughty and do not know what to speak and what not to speak." 30.14
"Those men who are caught in the noose of the God of death do not know what to do and not do and as their six sense organs cease to function." 30.15
After telling like this to Rāma, with raised eye brows due to great rage was searching all over for something to be used as weapon and that Rākṣasa not far from there saw a very huge Sāla tree. 30.16
Khara after biting his lips uprooted that great tree by his very powerful hands, lifted it and threw it aiming at Rāma shouting "You are now dead." 30.17-30.18
That Rāma with great fame cut that tree which was coming at him by use of several arrows, experienced great anger and decided to kill Khara. 30.19
With sweat covering him all over the body, Rāma with his eyes turned red due to anger, using thousands of arrows pierced the body of Khara. 30.20
Due to those arrows which had pierced, lot of foamy blood started flowing from those wounds and he looked like the Prasavana Mountain with large number of waterfalls. 30.21
In the war being completely stuck by the arrows of Rāma that Khara became like one intoxicated by the smell of blood and started running quickly towards Rāma. 30.22
Seeing him approaching him in a highly agitated manner, hastening with every step with flowing blood due to the wounds made by the arrows, Rāma moved aside a little. 30.23
Then Rāma, with an intention of killing Khara in the war, took out a fire like arrow, which looked like the divine staff of Brahma. 30.24
That soul of Dharma then took out an arrow given by Indra, the great king of devas, kept it on the bow and sent it towards Khara. 30.25
That great arrow which was released by Rāma after bending his bow, made a sound like a thunderbolt and pierced the chest of Khara and he fell down. 30.26
Then that Khara fell on the earth burnt by that arrow which was like fire, similar to Yama being burnt by Shiva in Swetharanya. 30.27
That Khara fell down like Vritra killed by Indra, like Namuchi killed by the froth of the sea and Bala was killed by Vajra of Indra. 30.28
Then all the royal sages as well as the great sages joined together and happily worshipped Rāma and told him. 30.29
"Rāma only for this purpose the great Indra who killed Pāka, who broke forts and who had a great luster came to the auspicious hermitage of Sārabhaṅga." 30.30
"You were brought here by the great sages by a clever plan for killing these great sinful Rākṣasas who are cruel." 30.31
"Oh son of Dasaratha, by the act that you have done here, the sages of Daṇḍaka would lead a pleasant life and follow acts of Dharma." 30.32
When this was going on, the devas and Chāraṇas together, played great sound on the Dundubhi drum and joyously caused a rain of flowers on Rāma making great sound. 30.33
"Within a period less than half an hour Rāma with his sharp arrows killed fourteen thousand powerful Rākṣasas and also Khara and Dūṣaṇa in a great battle." 30.34-30.35
"What a great act is the performance of Rāma who is greatly learned. This efficiency and valour cannot be even seen in Lord Vishnu." After telling like this all Devas went back as they have come. 30.36
During this time the valorous Lakshmana and Sītā came out from the cave and with joy entered the hermitage. 30.37
Then the victorious Rāma after being worshipped by those great sages entered the hermitage and Lakshmana worshipped him there. 30.38
That Vaidehi after seeing her husband Rāma who has killed the enemies and brought happiness to the sages, embraced him. 30.39
Seeing those Rākṣasas, who have been killed, that daughter of Janaka became happy and she was happier to see that Rāma had done the right thing. 30.40
That daughter of Janaka, seeing Rāma who had killed the Rākṣasas and who was worshipped by the joyful sages, again embraced that one with a moon like face and became very happy. 30.41
This is the end of Thirtieth Sarga of Āraṇya Kanda which occurs in Holy Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki as the First Epic.