Shloka 3.28.29
खररामयुद्धम् — The Battle of Khara and Rama (Aranya Kanda, Sarga 28)
ततोऽस्य युगमेकेन चतुर्भिश्चतुरो हयान्।षष्ठेन तु शिरस्सङ्ख्ये खरस्य रथसारथेः।।।।त्रिभिस्त्रिवेणुं बलवान्द्वाभ्यामक्षं महाबलः।द्वादशेन तु बाणेन खरस्य सशरं धनुः।।।।छित्वा वज्रनिकाशेन राघवः प्रहसन्निव।त्रयोदशेनेन्द्रसमो बिभेद समरे खरम्।।।।
tato 'sya yugam ekena caturbhiś caturō hayān |
ṣaṣṭhena tu śiras saṅkhye kharasya rathasāratheḥ ||
tribhis trivēṇuṃ balavān dvābhyām akṣaṃ mahābalaḥ |
dvādaśena tu bāṇena kharasya saśaraṃ dhanuḥ ||
chitvā vajra-nikāśena rāghavaḥ prahasann iva |
trayodaśenendra-samo bibhēda samare kharam ||
Then Rāghava, mighty like Indra, shattered the yoke of Khara’s chariot with one arrow; with four he slew the four horses; with the sixth he struck off the charioteer’s head in battle. With three he broke the chariot’s pole, with two the axle, and with the twelfth he splintered Khara’s bow together with its arrow. As though laughing, he then pierced Khara in the fight with the thirteenth, diamond-like shaft.
Rama, like Indra, strong and mighty, broke the yoke of Khara's chariot with one arrow, the four horses with four arrows, and with the sixth the charioteer's head, with three others the main pole of the chariot, with two the axle of the chariot, and with the twelfth Khara's bow and arrows were splintered. As if laughing at him, he pierced Khara's body with the thirteenth arrow.
Righteous force is portrayed as precise and proportionate: Rama disables the enemy’s war-capability step by step, embodying disciplined kṣatriya-dharma rather than chaotic violence.
Rama methodically dismantles Khara’s chariot-system—yoke, horses, charioteer, pole, axle, bow—then finally wounds Khara with the thirteenth arrow.
Strategic mastery and composure under pressure: Rama’s controlled sequencing of strikes demonstrates superior judgment in combat.