The Death of Ravana

The Death of Ravana is the decisive moment of the battle in Lanka: after a conflict that has continued through night and day, Rama kills Ravana with a divinely kindled dart. The blow ends the struggle between them in an image of overwhelming force, as Ravana falls like Vritra struck down by the Thunderer.

The Battle Reaches Its Decisive Moment

The fight has not paused with the passing hours; night and day alike have been consumed by the conflict. As the battle continues, Mátali calls on Rama to let another weapon decide the outcome and urges him to launch the dart kindled by the Almighty Sire. His intervention directs the scene toward a final, unmistakable act rather than another exchange of blows.

The Dart and Its Release

Rama obeys Mátali’s counsel. He sets the arrow on the string, then turns its point toward Ravana, lord of Lanka. The weapon is described as carrying a weight supplied by Mount Meru and Mount Mandar, giving the fatal dart a cosmic scale within the scene. Its release transforms Mátali’s counsel into action: Rama aims, and the dart strikes its intended target.

Ravana’s Fall

The dart pierces Ravana’s great chest and cleaves his heart. He falls dead upon the plain, compared to Vritra slain by the Thunderer. The comparison gives Ravana’s defeat the force of a legendary overthrow, while the direct image of the pierced heart makes the result final: the opponent who has sustained the battle is dead. The passage presents this moment as the battle’s decisive end, without detailing the subsequent response of Ravana’s forces.