Ramayana, Epic of Rama, Prince of India

127
Book X. Yuddha
(The War in Ceylon)
[137] Rama crossed over with his army from India to Ceylon. There is a chain of
islands across the strait, and the Indian poet supposes them to be the remains of
a vast causeway which Rama built to cross over with his army.
The town of Lanka, the capital of Ceylon, was invested, and the war which
followed was a succession of sallies by the great leaders and princes of Lanka.
But almost every sally was repulsed, every chief was killed, and at last Ravan
himself who made the last sally was slain and the war ended.
Among the numberless fights described in the original work, those of Ravan
himself, his brother Kumbha-kama, and his son Indrajit, are the most important,
and oftenest recited and listened to in India: and these have been rendered into
English in this Book. And the reader will mark a certain method in the poet’s
estimate of the warriors who took part in these battles.
First and greatest among the warriors was Rama; he was never beaten by an
open foe, never conquered in fair fight. Next to him, and to him only, was
Ravan the monarch of Lanka; he twice defeated Lakshman in battle, and never
retreated except before Rama. Next to Rama and to Ravan stood their brothers,
Lakshman and Kumbhakarna; it is difficult to say who was the best of these two,
for they fought only once, and it was a drawn battle. Fifth in order of prowess
was Indrajit the son of Ravan, but he was the first in his magic art. Concealed in
mists by his magic, he twice defeated both Rama and Lakshman; but in his last
battle he had to wage a face to face combat with Lakshman, and was [138] slain.
After these five warriors, pre-eminent for their prowess, various Vanars and
Rakshas took their rank.
The war ended with the fall of Ravan and his funerals.
The portions translated in this Book form the whole or portions of Sections
xliv., xlviii., lix., lxvi., lxvii., and lxxiii., an abstract of Sections lxxv. to xci., and
portions of Sections xciii., xcvi., ci., cii., ciii., cix., cx., and cxiii, of Book vi. of
the original text.