Shloka 3.25.5
खरसेनासङ्ग्रामः — The Battle with Khara’s Host at the Hermitage
स तेषां यातुधानानां मध्ये रथगतः खरः।बभूव मध्ये ताराणां लोहिताङ्ग इवोदितः।।।।
tataḥ śarasahasreṇa rāmam apratimaujasam |
ardayitvā mahānādaṃ nanāda samare kharaḥ ||
Then, striking Rāma—whose prowess was without equal—with a thousand arrows, Khara roared aloud on the battlefield.
Seated on a chariot in the midst of the demons, Khara looked like the rising Mars in the middle of the stars.
Dharma is tested under aggression: the righteous must remain steady when assailed, meeting force with disciplined response rather than panic or cruelty.
Khara opens a fierce assault on Rāma with a massive volley of arrows and challenges him with a battle-roar.
Rāma’s steadfastness under attack is implied—endurance and composure in the face of overwhelming force.