Ravana's Final Battle

Ravana's wife, Mandodari, once again pleaded with him to free Sita and end the destructive war. "O Lord, will you go to the battlefield again tomorrow?" she asked. "Can you not change your mind? Since we were married, you have always cared about my happiness. How can you forget this? Please give up the thought of war, my dear."

But Ravana, intoxicated by power, was heedless; death loomed over him. "Tomorrow night is a new moon, an auspicious time for us demons," he told Mandodari. "Just watch, my dear: tomorrow's battle will bring us victory."

Ravana summoned the remaining chiefs of his army. He declared that they would enter the battlefield determined to avenge their fallen comrades and that he would lead the battle himself. He called for his divine chariot, adorned with a flag and drawn by eight horses decorated with gems and ornaments. The chariot was brought to the door. Ravana leaped onto it with the speed of a lion and took his seat, armed with an array of weapons. He rode his chariot to the fifth gate of the city, a magical door. After passing through it, he began to soar through the sky like a swan.

Ravana was resolved to kill Rama and Lakshmana to avenge the deaths of Kumbhakarna, Akshaya Kumara, and Indrajit. Rama and Lakshmana awaited Ravana on the battlefield. The monkey soldiers saw the demon army advancing and prepared for war. A fierce battle ensued between the two sides. Ravana killed dozens of monkey soldiers, causing the rest to scatter in fear.

Each time Rama cut off one of Ravana's heads with his arrow, another grew back. Only Vibhishana knew the secret of Ravana's invincibility—he had a store of the nectar of immortality in his navel. So, he advised Rama to aim the Brahmastra at Ravana's navel. Rama invoked Lord Brahma and summoned the Brahmastra given to him by Maharshi Agastya. He shot this all-powerful arrow at Ravana's navel, causing the ten-headed demon to fall to the ground. Ravana lay dying on the battlefield.