Rama Slays Ravana with Brahmastra

Angry at the death of his beloved son, Dashagriva — Ravana, the ten-headed lord of the rakshasas — ascended his chariot and marched out, adorned in gold and gems. He was surrounded by terrible rakshasas, each carrying many weapons. They scattered the foremost among the monkeys and advanced toward Rama. But the monkeys did not scatter for long. Mainda, Nila, Nala, Angada, Hanuman and Jambavan, together with their soldiers, surrounded Ravana. In his sight, those bulls among bears and monkeys destroyed his soldiers with trees — uprooting them and hurling them into the rakshasa ranks. When Ravana saw his soldiers being annihilated, he resorted to maya — the power of illusion that he had mastered. Hundreds and thousands of rakshasas emerged from his body, holding arrows, lances and swords. But Rama destroyed them all with his divine weapons. Ravana resorted to maya again. This time, he created forms that looked exactly like Rama and Lakshmana, and sent them rushing toward the real brothers. Those stalkers of the night descended on them with long bows in their hands. But Lakshmana, the dauntless Soumitri, was not deceived. He spoke to Rama: "Kill those evil-souled rakshasas who have forms like yours." And Rama slew the ones who looked like him. Then, in that field of battle, Shakra's charioteer arrived. Matali drove a chariot as radiant as the sun, yoked to tawny horses. He spoke: "This is the supreme chariot that belongs to Maghavan himself. It is named Jaitra. Shakra used this splendid chariot in the war against daityas and danavas and killed hundreds. Swiftly ascend this chariot, driven by me in battle. Defeat Ravana. Do not delay." Rama was suspicious. He thought this might be more maya on the part of the rakshasa. But Vibhishana — Ravana's own brother, who had crossed over to Rama — told him: "This is not the maya of the evil-souled Ravana. Swiftly mount Indra's chariot." Rama mounted the chariot and advanced angrily toward Dashagriva. When Ravana advanced toward him, all the beings began to lament. The gods roared like lions in heaven and sounded drums. Ravana hurled an extremely terrible javelin at Rama — like Indra's vajra, like Brahma's raised staff. Rama cut it down with sharp arrows. On witnessing that difficult deed, Ravana was overcome by fear — and then by rage. He released thousands and tens of thousands of sharp arrows and other weapons: bhushundis (a type of missile), javelins, clubs, axes, spears, shataghnis (hundred-killing weapons), and arrows sharp as razors. On seeing the distorted maya created by the rakshasa, all the monkeys were scared and fled in all directions. At that moment, Kakutstha — Rama — took a supreme arrow out of his quiver. It was excellent in the head and the shaft, and had a golden shaft. He invoked it with the brahmastra — the ultimate divine weapon, the staff of Brahma himself — and fixed it to his bow. When Rama invoked that excellent arrow with the mantra of brahmastra, all the gods and the gandharvas (celestial musicians), with Indra at the forefront, rejoiced. They knew: the rakshasa only had a short span of life left now. Rama released the arrow, unmatched in its energy. It was terrible and resembled Brahma's raised staff, destined to kill Ravana. It enveloped the foremost among rakshasas — with his chariot, his horses and his charioteer — in a great mass of blazing flames. The thirty gods, together with the gandharvas and the charanas (celestial bards), were delighted to see that Ravana had been killed by Rama, whose deeds were unsullied. The five elements departed from the immensely fortunate Ravana. Through the energy of brahmastra, he was deprived of all the worlds. The ingredients of his body, together with his flesh and blood, were burnt so much by the brahmastra that even the ashes could not be seen.