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The Seventy-First Chapter
This Angada, skilled in creating the unparalleled moonlight, has risen in the city of Dasamukha, fearless. ||14|| What has he begun here? How will this happen? Will this play of his, devoid of fault, be successful? ||15||
The foot soldiers, seeing the jewel-studded exterior of Ravana's abode, mistook it for a crocodile-infested lake and were filled with fear. ||16|| Seeing the immobility of the form, they realized it was a jewel-studded floor, and then, filled with wonder, they moved forward. ||17||
They reached the grand entrance of the palace, built with great jewels, resembling the cave of Mount Meru, shining with jewel-studded arches. ||18||
There, they saw elephants made of indigo lapis lazuli, resembling the Anjanadri mountain, with smooth cheeks, large teeth, and extremely bright. ||19||
They also saw lion cubs, with their tails raised, their mouths fierce with fangs, their eyes terrifying, and their beautiful manes, standing on the heads of these elephants. ||20||
Seeing these, the foot soldiers, mistaking them for real elephants and lions, were terrified and fled, reaching the utmost state of bewilderment. ||21||
Then, Angada, knowing their true nature, explained to them, and with great difficulty, they turned back after a long time. ||22||
The soldiers, with their eyes darting about, entered Ravana's palace, filled with fear, like a herd of deer entering a lion's den. ||23||
They crossed many doors, but unable to go further, they wandered about in the dense palace structure, like the blind born. ||24||
Seeing the walls made of indigo lapis lazuli, they mistook them for doors, and seeing the buildings studded with crystal gems, they went towards them, mistaking them for the sky. As a result, they fell from both places, their heads hitting the stones, and they were filled with great distress, their eyes closed in pain. ||25-26||
Somehow, they got up and moved forward, but reaching another chamber, they again collided with the sky-crystal walls. ||27||
Their foreheads were bruised, and they were in pain from the impact, but they could not find their way out. ||28||