Ravana Enters the Battlefield

"Who are you?" Rama and Lakshmana asked Garuda.

"Consider me your servant," Garuda replied. "I have freed you from the snake arrows. Beware of the demons—they may use deceptive means to fight the war." After saying this, Garuda returned to Vaikuntha.

The monkey soldiers were ecstatic to see Rama and Lakshmana alive. They danced with joy and shouted triumphantly. The monkeys blew their conches, and the environment resonated with their loud laughter. Ravana's bodyguards, confused, climbed a mountain peak and saw that the Monkey King Sugriva had complete control over his army and that Rama and Lakshmana were freed from the snake arrows. They returned to Ravana and informed him that Rama and Lakshmana were alive. Ravana was heartbroken and astonished, as until then, no one had survived Indrajit's snake arrows.

After this, Ravana decided to join the war. He vowed to reduce Rama, Lakshmana, and the monkey army to ashes, like a forest fire consuming everything in its path. The next day, Ravana arrived at the battlefield, his chariot drawn by the finest horses in the kingdom. Vandijan and Charan praised the mighty Demon King, and the sky echoed with conches. An enormous army of demons followed Ravana.

Rama and his younger brother, Lakshmana, took their bows and arrows, ready to face their enemies. Sugriva attacked Ravana with a boulder, but Ravana quickly destroyed it with his golden arrow. Ravana then began to attack Sugriva with his arrows, severely injuring him. The pain was so intense that Sugriva felt as though he had been struck by Indra's thunderbolt, causing him to fall unconscious to the ground. 

"Demon King Ravana shines like the sun," noted Rama. "It is difficult even to look at him."

The monkey soldiers attacked Ravana with boulders and trees, but Ravana neutralized all these attacks with his mighty arrows. The Demon King seriously wounded the monkeys. Hanuman saw Ravana swiftly showering arrows at the monkey army and challenged Ravana to a duel. Ravana attacked the mighty Hanuman with such force that Hanuman fainted.