nd
Ravana then beheld that car without his son on it. And hearing that his
son had been slain, Ravana suffered his heart to be overpowered with
grief. And under the influence of extreme grief and affliction, the king
of the Rakshasas suddenly cherished the desire of killing the princess
of Mithila. And seizing a sword, the wicked Rakshasa hastily ran towards
that lady staying within the _Asoka_ wood longing to behold her lord.
Then Avindhya beholding that sinful purpose of the wicked wretch,
appeased his fury. Listen, O Yudhishthira, to the reasons urged by
Avindhya! That wise Rakshasa said, "Placed as thou art on the blazing
throne of an empire, it behoveth thee not to slay a woman! Besides, this
woman is already slain, considering that she is a captive in thy power!
I think, she would not be slain if only her body were destroyed. Slay
thou her husband! He being slain, she will be slain too! Indeed, not
even he of an hundred sacrifices (Indra) is thy equal in prowess! The
gods with Indra at their head, had repeatedly been affrighted by thee in
battle!" With these and many other words of the same import, Avindhya
succeeded in appeasing Ravana. And the latter did, indeed, listen to his
counsellor's speech. And that wanderer of the night, then, resolved to
give battle himself, sheathed his sword, and issued orders for preparing
his chariot.'"

SECTION CCLXXXVIII

"Markandeya said, 'The Ten-necked (Ravana), excited to fury at the death
of his beloved son, ascended his car decked with gold and gems. And
surrounded by terrible _Rakshasas_ with various kinds of weapons in
their hands, Ravana rushed towards Rama, fighting with numerous
monkey-chiefs. And beholding him rushing in wrath towards the monkey
army, Mainda and Nila and Nala and Angada, and Hanuman and Jambuvan,
surrounded him with all their troops. And those foremost of monkeys and
bears began to exterminate with trunks of trees, the soldiers of the
Ten-necked (Ravana), in his very sight. And beholding the enemy
slaughtering his troops, the _Rakshasa_ king, Ravana, possessed of great
powers of illusion, began to put them forth. And forth from his body
began to spring hundreds and thousands of _Rakshasas_ armed with arrows
and lances and double-edged swords in hand. Rama, however, with a
celestial weapon slew all those _Rakshasas_. The king of the _Rakshasas_
then once more put forth his prowess of illusion. The Ten-faced,
producing from his body numerous warriors