My Battle Against the Army of Demons

The tide of the war appeared to be changing. My fellow men and comrades were fighting back the onslaught of Ravana and his army of demons. We had found new hope. The divine god Garuda had restored our physical bodies to pristine condition. Our mental strength became fortified with every passing minute. We knew we were going to win the battle and end this demon's reign of terror. I glanced to my right and saw Sugriva rallying his army of monkey warriors. I turned to my comrades and did the same. Everyone answered to the rallying cry and we charged back into the darkness. 

The demons came from every direction. They were mischievous and dreadful on the battlefield. Ravana and his demons resorted to cheap tricks and magic while fighting. They could not be trusted to engage in traditional combat. Sugriva and his monkey army fought valiantly. They began to overwhelm some of the rakshasas. I continued to plow my way through the demons towards the palace. I had a burning desire to defeat Ravana and end this conflict for good. All seemed to be going well... Until everyone on the battlefield heard the thunderous noise emitting from the palace.

The ground shook violently. I stumbled backwards as I had lost my footing. The monkey warriors cowered. I saw fear in their faces. They walked backwards as they became more afraid of what was waiting on the other side. A monstrous roar deafened our ears, and my worst fear had come true. The demon Kumbhakarna came soaring through the air. He crushed the earth as he landed and immediately unleashed his demonic intent. With one swing of his arm he sent hundreds of monkey warriors flying through the air. Kumbhakarna began to devour them by the handful to try and satisfy his insatiable hunger. The hope had diminished from everyone's eyes. We were suffering heavy casualties all across the battlefield. Kumbhakarna had managed to capture my dear friend and leader Sugriva. He threw Sugriva into his chariot and took him away from my vision. I knew I had to act soon. I knew that I had to be the one to slay this monstrous demon. I nocked my arrow and jumped into the fray...

I fired a flurry of arrows at Kumbhakarna in an attempt to slow him down. He turned in a rage and began to charge in my direction. I had to act fast, so I climbed up the nearest tree to gain a height advantage. However, I soon realized that I was not even eye level with this beast. I had managed to slip into the cover of the giant leaves and remain unseen by Kumbhakarna. I waited in agony as I saw Kumbhakarna rip apart my comrades. They all struggled to fend off his violent attacks. I had a plan, but I needed time. I had to wait for the exact moment to fire my arrow and sever his head. I nocked my heaviest and sharpest arrow as he kept charging towards my direction. I was still under the cover of the tree's giant leaves. He began to close in on my position, but he was still unaware of where I was hiding. I used this to my advantage so I could slip behind him in his blind spot. Kumbhakarna charged past where I was hiding. I jumped out of the tree, pulled back my arrow, and unleashed it with as much force as possible.

Kumbhakarna's head fell from his shoulders. His body remained upright as I descended to the ground.  His head toppled over to the ground and a large thud echoed across the battlefield. Everyone around me looked on in disbelief. I managed to put an end to his terror. My comrades were reinvigorated with hope. We fought on into the night, eager to put an end to Ravana and his reign.

(A photo of Rama fighting Ravana. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: My story comes from a section of the Ramayana. The scene takes place during the fighting between Rama's forces and Ravana's forces. Rama and his forces seemed to have turned the tide of the battle as they were recently healed by Garuda. The forces of the monkey king and Rama battled fiercely against Ravana and his demons. There was a lot of back and forth action and Rama appeared to be taking a stand. However, Ravana summoned his brother Kumbhakarna. His brother was a giant and ferocious demon. His brother would sleep for six months and awake for only one day. During his one day awake, he would consume a monstrous meal and go back to sleep. Kumbhakarna begins to dominate the battlefield as he kills thousands of monkeys and even captures Sugriva. Rama engages in battle with the demon and emerges victorious. My story focuses on Rama's internal conflict during the struggle from a first person perspective. I wanted to continue to build up to the battle scene. I extended this story to include the fighting scene between Rama and Kumbhakarna. It is not detailed in the Ramayana, and I thought it would be a cool idea to include it in my story. Rama emerges victorious, but many of his comrades have been killed.

Bibliography: Ramayana Online from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Source: Blogspot