Shloka 20
तेऽनीकपा रघुपतेरभिपत्य सर्वे द्वन्द्वं वरूथमिभपत्तिरथाश्वयोधै: । जघ्नुर्द्रुमैर्गिरिगदेषुभिरङ्गदाद्या: सीताभिमर्षहतमङ्गलरावणेशान् ॥ २० ॥
te ’nīkapā raghupater abhipatya sarve dvandvaṁ varūtham ibha-patti-rathāśva-yodhaiḥ jaghnur drumair giri-gadeṣubhir aṅgadādyāḥ sītābhimarṣa-hata-maṅgala-rāvaṇeśān
Aṅgada and the other vānara commanders, fighting for Raghu-pati, charged the enemy’s elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots, hurling great trees, mountain peaks, clubs, and arrows. Thus Lord Rāmacandra’s army slew Rāvaṇa’s soldiers, whose good fortune had been destroyed by the curse born of Mother Sītā’s wrath.
The soldiers Lord Rāmacandra recruited in the jungle were all monkeys and did not have proper equipment with which to fight the soldiers of Rāvaṇa, for Rāvaṇa’s soldiers were equipped with weapons of modern warfare whereas the monkeys could only throw stones, mountain peaks and trees. It was only Lord Rāmacandra and Lakṣmaṇa who shot some arrows. But because the soldiers of Rāvaṇa were condemned by the curse of mother Sītā, the monkeys were able to kill them simply by throwing stones and trees. There are two kinds of strength — daiva and puruṣākāra. Daiva refers to the strength achieved from the Transcendence, and puruṣākāra refers to the strength organized by one’s own intelligence and power. Transcendental power is always superior to the power of the materialist. Depending on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, one must fight one’s enemies even though one may not be equipped with modern weapons. Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna, mām anusmara yudhya ca: “Think of Me and fight.” We should fight our enemy to the best of our ability, but for victory we must depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse describes the monkey commanders, led by Aṅgada, charging into combat and crushing Rāvaṇa’s military leaders with improvised weapons like trees and rocks, showing how the Lord’s cause is upheld and evil is overthrown.
Because their side supported the outrage of violating and abducting Sītā; that adharma ruined their fortune and made them destined for defeat when confronted by Lord Rāma’s allies.
Adharma—especially harming the innocent—destroys one’s lasting well-being, while standing with dharma and serving God’s purpose brings strength, unity, and eventual victory even against powerful opposition.