The Battle with Khar and Dushan

Seeing his sister's state, Khar flew into a rage. First he sent fourteen powerful demons to kill Ram. Ram finished all fourteen with fourteen arrows. Shurpanakha ran weeping to Khar again. Now Khar himself set out with his brother Dushan, the general Trishira and a huge army of fourteen thousand demons.

Hearing the army's roar in the distance, Ram said to Lakshman, ‘Take Sita to a mountain cave and protect her. I will deal with these demons alone.’ Lakshman obeyed. Ram put on his armour, strung his bow and stood alone before the army.

The demons surrounded Ram on all sides and showered weapons on him. But Ram's bow moved like lightning. Demons fell to his arrows one after another. Soon the army was scattered. Ram struck down first Dushan, then the three-headed Trishira.

At last only Khar was left. He fought fiercely and even cut Ram's bow. Then Ram took up the bow given to him by Sage Agastya. In the end, with one blazing arrow, Ram destroyed Khar too. The Manas says Ram created an illusion so that the demons saw Ram in each other and fought among themselves until they fell.

In about one prahar, all of Janasthan was free of demons. The sages and gods showered flowers on Ram. Lakshman brought Sita back, and Sita joyfully embraced Ram. But one demon, Akampan, escaped to Lanka, and so did Shurpanakha. Now the news was about to reach Ravan.