Lakshmana

Markandeya begins to answer Yudhishthira's request by tracing the lineage of Rama from the Ikshvaku king Aja through Dasharatha and his four sons. Then he turns to Ravana's birth, describing how the god Prajapati's line passed through Pulastya, and how a father's anger created the sage Vishrava — the father of the rakshasa king.

Markandeya tells Yudhishthira the full story of Rama's exile: Dasharatha's plan to instate his eldest son, Kaikeyi's demand for Bharata's throne and Rama's banishment, Rama's departure, Dasharatha's death from grief, Bharata's refusal of the crown, and the events that led Ravana to set his sights on Sita.

To please Sita, Rama chases a jeweled deer deep into the forest, leaving Lakshmana to guard her. When the dying deer cries out in Rama's voice, Sita's fear turns to fury — and she drives Lakshmana away with words he cannot bear to hear.

Rama returns after killing the magical deer, rebukes Lakshmana for leaving Sita, and rushes to the hermitage. There he finds the fallen vulture and mistakes him for a rakshasa — until Jatayu speaks, identifying himself as Dasharatha's friend and telling how Ravana killed him for Sita's sake. With his last strength, the vulture nods toward the south and dies. Rama performs his last rites, then heads south with Lakshmana into Dandakaranya.

Rama and Lakshmana encounter Kabandha, a rakshasa like a cloud or a mountain with a single eye on his chest and a giant mouth on a giant belly. He seizes Lakshmana in his arms. Lakshmana despairs, lamenting their misfortunes — Sita abducted, Rama exiled, their father dead — but Rama remains undaunted. He commands Lakshmana to slice off Kabandha's right arm while he severs the left, and they hack at the rakshasa until he falls dead. From his body emerges the gandharva Vishvavasu, freed from Brahma's curse, who tells Rama that Ravana took Sita to Lanka and advises him to seek Sugriva's help at Lake Pampa near Mount Rishyamukha.

Rama, miserable at Sita's abduction, is urged by Lakshmana to seek help rather than lament. He reaches Lake Pampa, meets Hanuman, and forms a pact with Sugriva — Rama will kill Vali in exchange for Sugriva's help to recover Sita. They go to Kishkindha, and after a brutal fight between the brothers, Rama shoots Vali through the heart with a single arrow.

Imprisoned in Lanka and guarded by terrifying rakshasis who threaten to eat her, Sita declares she will starve rather than accept Ravana. After the rakshasis leave, the rakshasi Trijata comforts her with a prophetic dream — Ravana will be destroyed, Rama will come, and Sita will be reunited with her husband.

Lakshmana enters Kishkindha in anger, believing Sugriva has forgotten his promise. The monkey king comes out humbly with his wife, welcomes him, and explains that he has already sent monkeys in all directions with a one-month deadline that will expire in five nights — and that the search for Sita is already underway.

When two months have passed, the southern search party is seen enjoying Madhuvana — a sign of success. Hanuman and the monkeys prostrate before Rama, Sugriva, and Lakshmana, and Hanuman delivers his full report: the cave, Sampati, the ocean crossing, and Sita found alive in Lanka with her jewel as proof.

Rama, living on Malyavan under the clear sky and moon, is overcome by grief for Sita. Believing Sugriva has become ungrateful and forgotten his promise, he instructs Lakshmana to go to Kishkindha — either to bring the monkey king back to serve their purpose, or to kill him like Vali if he remains lazy and ungrateful.

Vibhishana, the righteous brother of Ravana, meets Rama with his advisers after the bridge is built. Sugriva suspects he is a spy, but Rama satisfies himself about Vibhishana's truthfulness through his actions and conduct. He instates Vibhishana as king of the rakshasas and makes him Lakshmana's adviser. Following Vibhishana's instructions, Rama and his army cross the ocean within a month — and the campaign against Lanka begins.

Sugriva summons the foremost monkeys from every direction, and they arrive with armies numbering in the crores — Sushena, Gaja, Gavaya, Gavaksha, Gandhamadana, Panasa, Dadhimukha, and Jambavan with his bears. On an auspicious day, Rama marches out with this vast force, armed with trees and rocks, and they camp along the shore of the salty ocean — where the real problem begins.

With Angada's report delivered, Rama orders the walls of Lanka breached. Lakshmana, Vibhishana, and Sugriva demolish the southern gate, and the monkey army pours in — destroying turrets, catapults, and war implements, hurling them into the heart of the city. But the rakshasas rally under Ravana's orders and counterattack from the walls.

As the rakshasas drive the monkeys back from the walls, Rama and Lakshmana enter the fight. Rama rains down a net of arrows like storm clouds, killing the rakshasas, while Lakshmana picks off those stationed on the fortifications with iron arrows. With Lanka breached and victory in sight, Rama orders the army to withdraw.

Enraged by the slaughter of his invisible ambushers, Ravana leads his full army against the monkeys, arranging them in the fearsome ushanas battle formation. Rama counters with a formation recommended by Brihaspati, and the two armies collide in a battle that shakes the three worlds.

Kumbhakarna has fallen, and the rakshasa army flees in terror. But Dushana's younger brothers, Vajravega and Pramathi, rally the fleeing warriors and turn to face Lakshmana in a furious assault. The battle is brief and terrible — and ends with a mountain peak and a boulder.

Kumbhakarna marches out from the city and finds the victorious monkey army waiting for him. They swarm him from all sides, striking with trees, nails, and teeth — and he only laughs. He begins to devour them. Tara and the others cry out in terror, and Sugriva hears them.

Kumbhakarna has Sugriva in his grip. The monkey army's cries fill the air. Then Lakshmana moves — one arrow, perfectly aimed, that pierces armor and body and shatters the rakshasa's heart. But Kumbhakarna does not die quietly. He grows new arms, seizes a rock, and becomes something monstrous before the end.

Indrajit, the son of Ravana, arrives on the battlefield and challenges Lakshmana to a duel. Lakshmana rushes forward, and a fierce battle erupts. When Angada joins the fight and destroys Indrajit's chariot with a tree, the rakshasa uses his maya (illusion) to become invisible, showering Rama and Lakshmana with arrows until both brothers fall from the sky to the ground.

Ravana learns that Kumbhakarna, Prahasta, and Dhumraksha have been killed in battle. He summons his son Indrajit and commands him to kill Rama, Sugriva, and Lakshmana, reminding him of his past victory over Indra himself. Indrajit agrees, dons his armour, mounts his chariot, and proceeds to the battlefield.

Ravana's son Indrajit binds Rama and Lakshmana with boon-granted arrows, trapping them like birds in a cage. Sugriva and the monkeys stand guard helplessly until Vibhishana arrives with the prajna weapon to revive them, and Kubera sends consecrated water to grant them the power to see invisible beings.

Flush with victory, Indrajit returns to battle before performing his daily rites. Lakshmana, recovered and advised by Vibhishana, attacks him and kills him with three arrows — slicing off his bow-arm, his arrow-arm, and his head. When Ravana sees his son's corpse dragged into Lanka, he rushes to kill Vaidehi, but Avindhya calms him with reasoned counsel.

Enraged by the death of his son, Ravana marches out with his rakshasa army and attacks Rama with terrifying maya — creating illusory soldiers and even false forms of Rama and Lakshmana. But when Indra sends his own chariot, driven by Matali, Rama mounts it and invokes the brahmastra, an arrow that envelops the lord of rakshasas in a mass of blazing flames from which nothing remains — not even ash.

Rama has killed Ravana and rescued Sita. But when she is brought before him, he does not embrace her. He tells her she is free to go — that he cannot accept a woman who has lived in another man's house, comparing her to oblations licked by a dog. Sita collapses as if struck dead.

After the gods depart and Sita is vindicated, Rama arranges Lanka's protection, crosses the bridge, and begins the journey home. He installs Angada as heir in Kishkindha, sends Hanuman ahead to Bharata, and arrives at Nandigrama to find his brother still living in bark garments with Rama's sandals before him.