Shloka 3.25.41

खरसेनासङ्ग्रामः — The Battle with Khara’s Host at the Hermitage

Devanagari script

निहताः पतिताः क्षीणाश्छिन्ना भिन्ना विदारिताः।तत्र तत्र स्म दृश्यन्ते राक्षसास्ते सहस्रशः।।।।

Transliteration

nihatāḥ patitāḥ kṣīṇāś chinnā bhinnā vidāritāḥ |

tatra tatra sma dṛśyante rākṣasās te sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

There, in every direction, those rākṣasas were seen in their thousands—slain and fallen, weakened, cut apart, shattered, and torn open.

Context

There were bodies of demons pierced and torn, thinned and fallen down, destroyed, broken and cut into pieces scattered in their thousands.

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What dharmic idea is conveyed by describing the rākṣasas lying slain in thousands?

The verse underscores the consequence of adharma: violence and oppression ultimately lead to destruction. In the Ramayana’s moral frame, those who persist in unrighteous conduct meet ruin, while dharma prevails.

How does this verse relate to satya (truth) in the narrative style of the Ramayana?

The piling up of participles (“slain, fallen, weakened, cut, shattered, torn”) functions as a truthful, eyewitness-like report—an unembellished depiction of the outcome of battle, reinforcing satya through precise narration.