Jain Ramayana Part 1

Author(s): Bhadraguptasuri
Publisher: Vishvakalyan Prakashan Trust Mehsana

Page 40

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"JAIN RAMAYAN
peacefully; and we shall never show you our faces until we have completely routed Nirghat, and occupied our father's kingdom”.
The three brothers were determined to recapture their ancestral kingdom. Their faces grew red with the flames of anger and resembled erupting volcanoes. Their declarations of war were heard everywhere. War-drums were beaten. Thousands of Rakshasa heroes gave out sky-cracking war-cries. While setting out on their campaign to recapture Lanka, Mali, Shrimali and Malyavan bowed their heads to their mother and wore on their foreheads the dust of their mother's feet. They received the blessings of their elders and at an auspicious time, they set off towards Lanka with their vast army. Traversing through the sky, the Rakshasa army entered the boundaries of Lanka. The Rakshasa heroes organized themselves into wonderful and impenetrable battle-formations, surrounded the city on all sides; and laid a siege to it. When Nirghat who had grown arrogant and haughty on account of the support of Ashaniveg, the Vidyadhar, heard about the approach of the Rakshasa army, he was not at all shaken or dismayed. He made immediate preparations for a battle in the air; and set off to fight against the Rakshasa army.
As soon as he saw Nirghat, Mali thundered with anger; and challenged him to a fight.
Both were great heroes and able warriors. Like ferocious lions they fought against each other. Along with Mali, the other two radiant heroes Shrimali and Malyavan also shouted warcries and displayed their skill. Nirghat was completely stupefied on seeing Mali who was fighting like a veritable Yama, the god of death. The ground beneath his feet began to slip and give way. He kept staring at him in absolute stupefaction; and Mali without losing even a fraction of a second cut off his head like a woodman cutting off a banyan tree; and slew him. A panicky stampede ensued among his soldiers when they saw this dreadful sight of their master lying on the ground like a cut off banyan tree. Mali's exultant cries of victory reverberated throughout the whole universe.
Mali was crowned King of Lanka in an auspicious Muhurt