The Vánar night attack on Lanka and the deaths of Kumbha and Nikumbha

The Vánar night attack on Lanka and the deaths of Kumbha and Nikumbha marks a shift from a raid on Lankā’s defenses to a series of close, decisive combats. Under Sugríva’s command, the Vánar bands attacked at dead of night with torches, setting the city alight. When Kumbha and Nikumbha were sent out by the king’s order, Sugríva met them in the open field and killed them both. The episode makes the attack’s force visible in two forms: as fire spreading through the city and as Sugríva’s physical defeat of the champions sent to resist it.

The Night Assault on Lankā

The canto is identified as The Night Attack, and its opening gives the Vánar assault a clear tactical purpose. Sugríva urges the Vánar lords to seize the opportunity, reasoning that the enemy’s defenses are weak. At dead of night the bands advance with torches. The timing and the light carried by the attackers turn surprise into a practical advantage: the giant warders, frightened by the approaching host, leave their posts. The city’s defenses are not described as holding a coordinated line; at the crucial moment, its guards withdraw. The raiders’ movement through Lankā is marked by fire. Wherever the Vánar legions pass, hostile flame follows, and the blaze spreads until the city is described as burning from gate to gate and from court to spire. This citywide image extends the raid beyond a clash at one entrance or outpost: the attack is rendered as an encroaching destruction across the built space of Lankā. The account also takes in its surrounding features, naming headland, rock, and bay as part of the burning scene. The night assault thus gains its scale through both the movement of the bands and the spread of the flames.

Kumbha and Nikumbha Enter the Fight

The attack prompts a response from the king. Kumbha and Nikumbha come through the gates, dispatched together at his command and identified as the bravest and best. Their arrival changes the immediate shape of the fighting. The Vánars’ incursion has drawn the defenders out of their posts and now brings the city’s champions into open combat, where the conflict narrows from the broad assault to a confrontation between named leaders. The first exchange is costly for the Vánar side. Angad falls and Dwivid reels as the chiefs fight in the open field. These details prevent the encounter from appearing as an effortless advance: Kumbha and Nikumbha’s intervention puts the attackers under pressure, and the Vánar leaders are not untouched by it. Sugríva sees the danger and responds directly, turning his attention to Kumbha.

Sugríva Kills Kumbha

Sugríva crushes the bow in Kumbha’s hands, removing the weapon before engaging him at close quarters. He winds his arms around Kumbha, heaves him from the ground, and hurls him over the bank. The sequence is sharply physical: the broken bow gives way to grappling, then to the sudden force of the throw. Sugríva’s strength is expressed through successive actions rather than through a general claim about his prowess. The struggle does not end with the throw. Sugríva’s wrist breaks against Kumbha’s wounded bone, a consequence that makes the victory costly even as it shows the violence of the encounter. He continues regardless, striking Kumbha beneath the neck with force that cannot be checked. The blow crashes through flesh and bone, and Kumbha dies. Sugríva’s first victory in the episode therefore combines tactical advantage, bodily injury, and lethal resolve; the attacker who has broken Kumbha’s weapon pays for the final contest with a broken wrist.

Nikumbha’s Death and the Episode’s Turn

Nikumbha sees his brother die and responds in fury. The surviving champion’s reaction carries the conflict forward immediately: Kumbha’s death does not end the resistance but provokes a new attack. Nikumbha rushes at Sugríva with a powerful weapon, which shatters against Sugríva. The description presents Sugríva as a living rock against which the weapon breaks, then returns to direct action: Sugríva rises to meet the blow, lifts his huge hand, and strikes Nikumbha down. The account closes the encounter with the giant fallen in the dust. The sequence links the larger assault and the personal combat without treating them as interchangeable. The torch-bearing bands exploit the night and the abandoned posts; Sugríva’s individual actions decide the encounters with the two champions sent to stop them. Kumbha’s fall is followed by Nikumbha’s fury, and the second death completes the paired challenge. The episode’s consequence established by the scene is the loss of both defenders in this fight, while its larger image remains the blaze spreading through Lankā as the Vánar attack advances.