Triśirás

Triśirás is a Rákshasa chief in the battle of Lanka whose brief but forceful appearance links the enemy chiefs’ drive to avenge Narantak with the onward succession of combatants. He draws his bow against Nila, but Nila recovers from the assault and strikes him down.

Identity and Introduction

Triśirás appears in the canto devoted to his death, amid the Rákshasa chiefs’ fury at Narantak’s fall. The episode places him within a collective response to the battlefield losses: the chiefs burn to avenge the fallen warrior, and Triśirás takes up that fight himself.

Combat with Nila

After being struck and sinking briefly to his knees, Triśirás springs up and draws his great bow with a clang. He readies three arrows, then strains the bow and sends a shower of arrows into Nila’s side and chest. The attack leaves Nila momentarily oppressed, but does not keep him down.

Nila regains his strength, raises his broad hand, and strikes Triśirás. The blow lands with such force that the Rákshasa falls to the ground with a yell. The exchange turns sharply: Triśirás’s volley wounds and staggers his opponent, yet Nila’s counterattack ends the duel.

Death and Narrative Role

Triśirás’s death is one episode in the fighting that follows Narantak’s fall. His place among the chiefs eager for revenge gives his encounter with Nila a clear cause, while the brief reversal in the duel supplies its outcome: a fighter who rises from an earlier blow and answers with a barrage of arrows is himself overcome when his opponent recovers. The canto records no further action or fate for Triśirás beyond his fall.