6. Yuddha Kand
The Book of War · 128 sargas
The vanara army bridges the sea and Vibhishana takes refuge with Rama. A terrible war follows in Lanka — Kumbhakarna and Meghnad fall, Lakshmana lies unconscious and Hanuman carries back a whole mountain to revive him. Sage Agastya teaches Rama the Aditya Hridayam, and Rama kills Ravana. Lamps are lit for the return to Ayodhya, and that is Deepavali.
What Happens in Yuddha Kand
Yuddha Kand is the longest book of the Ramayan and it begins with a problem of engineering and one of conscience. The army reaches the shore and cannot cross. Rama petitions the ocean for three days, is ignored, and finally takes up his bow — at which point Samudra appears and proposes the solution: Nala and Nila, sons of the divine architect, can build. The Rama Setu is raised in five days, and the vanara host crosses.
On the other side, Vibhishana has already left. He told his brother plainly that Sita should be returned, was abused and exiled for it, and came to Rama's camp. Sugriva argues he is a spy. Rama overrules them all with the principle that governs the whole kand: one who comes seeking refuge is never turned away, even if he comes from the enemy. He crowns Vibhishana king of Lanka before a single stone of it has fallen.
The war itself is long and costly. Kumbhakarna is woken from his half-year sleep, tells Ravana he was wrong, and goes out to die for him anyway. Meghnad — Indrajit, who defeated Indra — fights from behind invisibility and fells Lakshmana twice; Hanuman flies to the Himalaya for the sanjeevani herb, cannot identify it, and carries back the entire mountain. Before the final day, sage Agastya teaches Rama the Aditya Hridayam, the hymn to the sun. Ravana comes out at last, and the duel ends when Rama uses the Brahmastra given to him by Agastya and strikes the nectar-vessel in his navel. The kand closes with Sita's agni pariksha and Rama's return to an Ayodhya lit with rows of lamps — the night kept ever since as Deepavali.
Key Episodes
- Vibhishana takes refuge — Rama never turns away one who surrenders
- Nala and Nila build the Rama Setu across the sea
- Kumbhakarna and Meghnad (Indrajit) are killed
- Lakshmana falls, and Hanuman brings the Sanjeevani mountain
- Sage Agastya teaches Rama the Aditya Hridayam
- Ravana is killed, Sita's trial by fire, and the return to Ayodhya — Deepavali
Who Appears in Yuddha Kand
- Rama
- Builds the bridge, receives Vibhishana, is taught the Aditya Hridayam, and kills Ravana on the final day.
- Vibhishana
- Ravana's brother, exiled for advising Sita's return; received by Rama and crowned king of Lanka.
- Kumbhakarna
- Woken from his long sleep, tells Ravana the war is unjust, and fights and dies for him regardless.
- Meghnad (Indrajit)
- Ravana's son, who once defeated Indra; fights unseen, fells Lakshmana twice, and is killed by Lakshmana at last.
- Hanuman
- Carries the entire Dronagiri mountain back from the Himalaya because he cannot tell which herb is the sanjeevani.
- Ravana
- Refuses every counsel to return Sita, loses his brother and his sons, and falls to the Brahmastra.
What Yuddha Kand Teaches
Refuge is never refused
Vibhishana arrives from the enemy capital and every adviser says he is a spy. Rama's answer — that he will not turn away anyone who comes for shelter, even at the cost of being deceived — is the ethical rule the kand is built on, and it is stated before any advantage from it is visible.
Loyalty to a cause known to be wrong
Kumbhakarna tells Ravana to his face that he has brought this on himself, and then goes out and dies for him. The Ramayan takes care to give its antagonists this dignity; almost everyone on Ravana's side knows the truth and stays anyway.
The lamps of the return
Deepavali is Ayodhya's response to the return after fourteen years, and the Ramayan gives it no ceremony or command — the city simply lights up on its own. The festival's origin is an unorganised act of welcome.
Shlokas
Yuddha Kand
आदित्यहृदयं पुण्यं सर्वशत्रुविनाशनम् । जयावहं जपेन्नित्यमक्षय्यं परमं शिवम् ॥
āditya-hṛdayaṁ puṇyaṁ sarva-śatru-vināśanam / jayāvahaṁ japen nityam akṣayyaṁ paramaṁ śivam
The Aditya Hridayam is holy, destroyer of all enemies, bringer of victory, imperishable and supremely auspicious — recite it always. Sage Agastya's counsel to Rama on the morning of the final battle.
Yuddha Kand — Frequently Asked Questions
The vanara army builds the Rama Setu and crosses to Lanka. Vibhishana defects to Rama, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad are killed, Lakshmana is revived by the sanjeevani Hanuman brings, Agastya teaches Rama the Aditya Hridayam, and Rama kills Ravana. The book ends with Sita's agni pariksha and the return to Ayodhya.
After Rama's three-day petition to the ocean went unanswered and he raised his bow, Samudra appeared and proposed that Nala and Nila, sons of Vishwakarma, build a causeway. The vanara army raised it across the strait in five days.
Ordinary arrows could not kill him because of the nectar held in his navel. Vibhishana revealed the secret, and Rama used the Brahmastra given to him by Agastya, striking the navel — after which Ravana fell.
A hymn to Surya taught to Rama by sage Agastya on the morning of the final battle, when Rama was exhausted and Ravana still stood. It is recited for strength, victory and the removal of obstacles, and comes directly from this kand.
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya at the end of the fourteen years, and the city lit rows of lamps to welcome them. That night is remembered as Deepavali — which is why the festival is tied to Yuddha Kand's close.