Chapter 87 — Lavana's Fall

At dawn Lavana came out from his city, driven by hunger. Shatrughna crossed the Yamuna and stood at Madhu's gate with bow in hand.

By midday Lavana returned carrying a heavy burden of prey. He saw the armed man at the entrance and asked why he had come. He mocked the thought that one more warrior could stand against him; he had eaten thousands like this, he said, and his hunger was not yet satisfied.

Shatrughna's anger rose, but his answer was controlled.

“I am Shatrughna, son of Dasharatha and brother of Rama. I have come to fight you. You are the enemy of living beings. You will not leave this place alive.”

Lavana answered with contempt. Ravana, he said, had been his mother's brother, and Rama had killed him for a woman. Lavana had endured the ruin of Ravana's house only because he had not yet chosen to take revenge. He would grant Shatrughna the battle he wanted—once he had armed himself.

“No enemy who has come before you is to be released,” Shatrughna replied. “To give an enemy time through a weak mind is to be destroyed.”

Lavana tore up a great tree and threw it. The blow struck Shatrughna's head and brought him down. Cries rose from rishis, gods, gandharvas, and apsaras who watched the fight. Yet Lavana, thinking Shatrughna dead, did not go back into the city for his trident. He turned instead toward the food he had carried.

After a time Shatrughna regained consciousness. The rishis honored him, and he took the divine arrow Rama had given him. Its radiance filled the directions. The world trembled at its appearance, and the gathered gods went to Brahma in alarm.

Brahma told them there was no end of the world at hand. The arrow was Vishnu's ancient force, once made to kill Madhu and Kaitabha; now Shatrughna held it to kill Lavana.

Shatrughna drew his bow to the ear. He called Lavana back to the fight and sent the arrow into the rakshasa's chest. It tore through him and entered the deep realm below, then returned at once to Shatrughna.

Lavana fell like a mountain struck by lightning. Before all who watched, the great trident left the dead rakshasa and returned to Rudra. The fear that had held the region ended with a single arrow, and Shatrughna stood at the gate with his bow still raised.