Vyasa

Aranyaka Parva›Rama's Quest to Rescue Sita

Monkeys Breach Lanka's Walls and Attack

Why "Minor"?

Causal ReachTop 99%
Character WeightTop 89%
State ChangeTop 98%
Narrative RecallTop 50%

~1 min read

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.

Rama gave the order. With the efforts of all the monkeys — who were as swift as the wind — the walls of Lanka were breached. Lakshmana led the way. Vibhishana and Sugriva, the lord of the bears, joined him. Together they demolished the impregnable southern gate of the city. Rama then invaded Lanka with a hundred thousand crore of monkeys. They were skilled in battle, their complexions as red as young camels. They leapt up and jumped down and moved sideways. The dust they raised was so thick that the sun became invisible and its light was dimmed. The rakshasas — with their wives and their elders — watched in amazement. They saw the walls turn tawny with monkeys, who seemed like shoots of rice, with the complexion of shirisha blossoms, like the rising sun, and as white as reeds. The monkeys destroyed the pillars made of jewels and the turrets of the catapults. They shattered, broke, and flung away the implements of war. With great strength, they grasped the shataghnis (stone-throwing weapons), chakras (discus-like weapons), iron bars, and rocks, and with the force of their arms, hurled them into the middle of Lanka. Attacked by hundreds of monkeys, the masses of rakshasas stationed on the turrets ran away. But then, on the instructions of their king, hundreds and thousands of rakshasas issued out. They could assume any form at will, and their shapes were distorted. With a shower of arrows, they drove away the forest dwellers. Resorting to supreme valour, they established themselves on the walls. Those terrible-looking stalkers of the night cleared the walls of the monkeys and hung on there, like masses of flesh. Pierced by lances, many bulls among the monkeys fell down. Many stalkers of the night also fell down, crushed by broken pillars and ramparts. The battle raged on between rakshasas and monkeys — the brave ones pulled each other by the hair, fought, and devoured with nails and teeth. The monkeys and rakshasas were struck, died, and fell down on the ground there, but they did not let go of each other.

Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 565