58 ' Eamavijaya.

come here with a great number of monkey-soldiers.
They have killed good many demons and destroyed nearly
the whole of Lanka. It is now your duty to .help
me/ " It is not good that you have deprived the help-
less woman, Sita, of her husband," replied Kimibhakarna.
" It is a great sin that one should covet another's wife.
You ought to have restored her to her husband. But as
you have brought her here at the risk of your life, have
you fulfilled your wishes ? s If not, transform yourself into
Ratna and go to her/' "That cannot be done," replied
Havana, " because if I become Rama, all his virtues will
reigu in me and prevent me from doing any wicked act.
Unless you kill Rama, I shall not be able to fulfill my
wishes." " As you are my brother," said Kumbhakarna,
" It is my duty to help you. Have courage. I shall devour
all the monkeys in a moment and kill Rama and Lakshu-
m&n;" Taking his leave of Havana, Kumbhakarna
attacked the army of Rama, when four monkeys, in-
cluding Sharab and Gbvaksha flung mountains and
rocks at the demon which the latter broke with blows and
threw them into the sky. Kumbhakarna devoured a
great number of the monkeys but a few of them
escaped through his ears and nostrils. Sugriva then threw
a mountain at him which the latter broke with one
blow and, having held him by his feet, turned him round
like a reel. He was about to dash the monkey to pieces,
when the latter escaped from his clutches and jum-
ped into the sky. But he, having stretched out hig
hands in the sky, brought him down and put him
into his arms. Sugriva was disgusted at the stink of* his
arms and, having cut off his nose and ears, once more
escaped and jumped into the sky ol which Kumbhakarna
knew nothing. He was profusely bled and altogether
disfigured. Having thought that he was successful in the
war, he walked towards the palace' of his brother, Havana,