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SETUBANDHA • 71. An arrow shot by Rāma pierced Rāvana's forehead as he stepped forward, but failed to dispel his clearly visible frown.
72. The cluster of his faces, drooping in a swoon, with the eyes streaming with blood, tossed on his shoulders again and again.
73. Thereafter regaining consciousness at the end of the swoon, he let fly an arrow, wrathfully drawn, with the feathered shaft touching the eye-corner of his second face,35 and the tips of the feathers burnt by the fire issuing from his eyes.
74. But that arrow, filling the ten directions with thousands of rays, and resembling the fire of the epoch of destruction, merged midway in an arrow of Rāma, as does the orb of the sun in the jaws of Rāhu.
75. Meanwhile Rāma steadily drew an arrow from the quiver, and observed Rāvana, as if he were a lotus pool in bloom whose flowers36 were to be cut before long.
76. As Rāma joined the arrow to his bow the Fortune of the demons turned towards Vibhīşaņa;37 while at the same moment Sītā's left eye twitched,38 presaging the destruction of Rāvana.
77. The left eye of Rāvana twitched as did the right eye of Rāma; while both eyes of Vibhīşaņa throbbed, betokening the slaying of a kinsman39 and his own acquisition of a kingdom.40
78. As Rāma drew his bow, with the arrow fixed, filling the curve with his chest, the tears of the nymphs seemed to be wiped away by the feathers of the arrow.41
79. Thereafter the cluster of Rāvana's heads, which he once struck off one by one with his Candrahāsa sword, 42 was severed all at once by Rāma with a single arrow..
35. i.e., the arrow was drawn to the furthest limit. 36. Rāvana's heads are likened to the flowers. 37. Rāvana's successor on the throne of Lankā. 38. Considered lucky for a woman. 39. i.e., Rävana.
40. The twitching of the right eye is lucky and that of the left eye unlucky for a man.
41. i.e., the impending death of Rāvaņa assured them of the end of their captivity.
42. While worshipping Śiva with the exception of the tenth head. Cf. 6.17,
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