Shloka 3.26.11
दूषणवधः (The Slaying of Dūṣaṇa and the Rout of Khara’s Host)
स च्छिन्नधन्वा विरथो हताश्वो हतसारथिः।।3.26.9।।जग्राह गिरिशृङ्गाभं परिघं रोमहर्षणम्।वेष्टितं काञ्चनैः पट्टैर्देवसैन्यप्रमर्दनम्।।3.26.10।।आयसैश्शङ्कुभिस्तीक्ष्णैः कीर्णं परवसोक्षितम्।वज्राशनिसमस्पर्शं परगोपुरदारणम्।।3.26.11।।
soṣṇīṣair uttamāṅgaiś ca sāṅgadair bāhubhis tathā |
ūrubhir jānubhiś chinnaiḥ nānārūpair vibhūṣaṇaiḥ ||
hayaiś ca dvipamukhyaiś ca rathair bhinnair anekaśaḥ |
cāmarair vyajanaiś chatrair dhvajair nānāvidhair api ||
rāmasya bāṇābhihatair vicitraiḥ śūlapaṭṭiśaiḥ |
khaṅgaiḥ khaṇḍīkṛtaiḥ prāsair vikīrṇaiś ca paraśvadhaiḥ ||
cūrṇitābhiḥ śilābhiś ca śaraiś citrair anekaśaḥ |
vicchinnaiḥ samare bhūmir vikīrṇā 'bhūd bhayaṅkarā ||
Struck down by Rāma’s arrows, the battlefield became strewn with severed heads still wearing helmets, arms with armlets, and cut thighs and knees adorned with varied ornaments. It was also littered in many ways with broken chariots, horses, and great elephants, along with yak-tail fans, fans, umbrellas, and many kinds of flags. Weapons too lay scattered—spears and lances shattered, swords broken, darts and battle-axes thrown about; stones were crushed, and countless arrows lay splintered. Thus the ground in that combat was strewn and mangled, and it looked dreadful.
With his bow and chariot broken, charioteer and horses killed, Dusana took up a spear in his hand that appeared like a huge mountain top. Bound by golden bands, covered the iron nails, wetted with the enemy's marrow it created a horripilation. It appeared as though it could crush the army of gods and render the enemy powerless. It carried the killing touch of the thunderbolt and could break open the enemy's fort.
The verse forces attention to the cost of adharma: violence erupts into horrific consequences. In the Ramayana’s dharmic lens, righteous force may be necessary to protect, but the aftermath remains grave—warning against aggression, arrogance, and unjust war.
After Rāma’s successful counterattack, the narrator depicts the battlefield: dismembered bodies, broken royal insignia, shattered vehicles, and scattered weapons, making the ground look terrifying.
Rāma’s protective valor (vīrya aligned with Dharma) is implicit—his arrows end the threat—while the description also underscores his role as a restorer of order against violent wrongdoers.