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The Final Battle

Hanuman Saves Laxmana

The monkey folk made a valiant attempt to attack the terrible demon, but their stones and boulders rolled off his body like water off a duck's back. Ravana's flaming arrows depleted the monkey ranks and unleashed terror in their hearts. Laxmana rushed forward to help his monkey friends, but Ravana struck him down with a powerful thunderbolt. Rama feared for his brother's life when he saw him lying senseless in a pool of blood. 

Again the monkeys proved themselves resourceful in a crisis. They told Rama that they knew of some medicinal herbs that could save Laxmana's life. The only stumbling block was that these herbs were only available far away in the Himalayas. Rama's heart sank. This was as good as having no cure at all. How would they able to collect the herbs from such a distant place and return before Laxmana breathed his last?  

Hanuman saved the situation once again. He was swift as the wind and immensely strong. He flew up into the air and disappeared in the direction of the Himalayas. When Hanuman landed on the mountain, he found a million different varieties of herbs. He had no idea which ones would save Laxmana's life. Hanuman felt that the only solution to this quandary was to pick up the whole mountain and take it to the plain where Laxmana lay. That is exactly what he did!

Once Hanuman returned to Lanka with the mountain in the palm of his hand, the monkey folk quickly went to work to revive Laxmana. They made a potion out of the herbs and made Laxmana inhale the vapours. The potion worked like magic and the strength quickly began seeping back into Laxmana's body. 

The Famous Battle between Ram and Ravana

Rama decided that it was time that he took on the terrible Ravana in battle. Both the warriors were evenly matched and both had access to secret powerful weapons. Neither Rama nor Ravana had ever tasted the bitter fruit of defeat. They were both masters in the use of the bow and arrow. Even the gods gathered to watch this magnificent battle. The air was thick with arrows flying in both directions. Finally, Rama remembered the Brahma-Astra, a missile gifted to him by the Lord Brahma himself. Rama uttered the spell that would summon the mighty weapon. Then invoking the gods, he hurled the weapon with all his might at Ravana. A deafening roar was heard as the Brahma-Astra exploded and the mighty Ravana was destroyed. 

After Sita was rescued and reunited with Rama, they lived in the forest for fourteen years. Finally, Rama returned with Sita and Laxmana to claim his kingdom. It is said that Rama ruled with great wisdom and kindness for many years, and his wife, Sita was a most gracious and loving queen.