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SETUBANDHA
56. 'Sire, let thy bow be at rest with the string detached from the ends and loose. Behold Rāvana destroyed before long by Nila or Sugrīva or myself.
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57. 'Indulge in wrath in a matter that is weighty. Renounce vengeful persistence in the easy task of slaying Ravana. An elephant of the gods batters a lofty hillside down, but not a river bank or the level ground.
58. 'Is it not reported,23 o lord of the Raghus, that even though Siva was capable of burning all the three cities of the demons by a mere glance, it was the gods who carried out his command?"24
59. Rāma, his forehead covered with sweat in his wrath at the sight of Rāvana, looked at Nila and Sugrīva, and replied to Lakṣmaṇa as he bowed to him.
60. 'My heart is confident of the success of your endeavour, because you have fulfilled your promises. But my arm will be as a burden to me if it fails to destroy Ravana by its own effort.
61. 'Content yourselves with having slain Kumbha, Prahasta and Indrajit25 in battle. Snatch not Rāvana away who hath chanced to come face to face with me, like a wild elephant falling a prey to a lion's jaws.'
62. Rāvana's arrows, as if interrupting their talk that was in progress, began to overwhelm the host of apes in the front ranks in the battle.
63. Thereupon ensued the combat between Rama and Rāvaṇa, marked by equal valour, and momentous because of the certain death of one of them, and watched by the gods, keeping out of range of the arrows.
64. Ravana whose kinsmen had been slain first shot an arrow at Rama's bosom, having drawn the bow in such a manner that the string glistened with the lustre of the jewels of his earrings.26
23. Lit. heard.
24. i.e., destroyed the cities under his command.
25. Killed respectively by Sugrīva, Nila and Lakṣmaṇa.
26. i.e., he drew the bow up, to the ear.
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