Ravan Enters the Battlefield

"Who are you?" Ram and Lakshman asked Garud.

"Consider me your servant," Garud 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, Garud returned to Vaikunth.

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

After this, Ravan decided to join the war. He vowed to reduce Ram, Lakshman, and the monkey army to ashes, like a forest fire consuming everything in its path. The next day, Ravan 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 Ravan.

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

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

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