Shloka 2
खररामयुद्धम् — The Battle of Khara and Rama
Aranya Kanda, Sarga 28
स दृष्ट्वा राक्षसं सैन्यमविसह्यं महाबलः।हतमेकेन रामेण त्रिशिरोदूषणावपि।।।।तद्बलं हतभूयिष्ठं विमनाः प्रेक्ष्य राक्षसः।आससाद खरो रामं नमुचिर्वासवं यथा।।।।
sa dṛṣṭvā rākṣasaṃ sainyam aviṣahyaṃ mahābalaḥ |
hatam ekena rāmeṇa triśiro-dūṣaṇāv api ||
tad balaṃ hata-bhūyiṣṭhaṃ vimanāḥ prekṣya rākṣasaḥ |
āsasāda kharo rāmaṃ namucir vāsavaṃ yathā ||
Vị dũng tướng thấy đạo quân rākṣasa đông đảo, khó bề chống nổi, đã bị một mình Rāma chém giết; lại cả Triśiras và Dūṣaṇa cũng đã bị hạ. Thấy binh lực phần lớn tiêu tan, rākṣasa ấy lòng rối bời, Khara liền xông tới Rāma, như Namuci xưa từng tiến đánh Indra.
Exhibiting his agility of the hand, Khara shattered the bow and the arrow in the grip of Rama ,the great soul.
FAQs
The verse frames righteous resistance to adharma: Rama’s solitary defense against violent aggressors upholds protective duty (kṣatriya-dharma), showing that power is legitimate when used to restrain wrongdoing.
After Rama has killed many rākṣasas, including Triśiras and Dūṣaṇa, Khara—disturbed by the collapse of his forces—personally advances to confront Rama.
Rama’s steadfast valor and resolve: he stands unmoved as the aggressor’s commander comes forward, underscoring courage aligned with righteous purpose.