With a brow blazing like a mass of fire, vast tawny wings outstretched, and a single, fearsome eye glaring from his chest, there appeared a monstrous being. His great fangs flashed as he licked his enormous mouth, and he prowled the forest, devouring dreadful bears, lions, deer, and birds. His two terrible arms, each a yojana in length, swept through the wilderness; with his hands, he seized bears, flocks of birds, and deer, dragging away many leaders of the herds. As Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa advanced along their path, this fearsome creature stationed himself before them, blocking their way. After passing by, the brothers saw him from a distance of a krośa—a being immense and dreadful, terrifying to behold, his form like a massive trunk, covered with arms and exceedingly horrible in appearance. Suddenly, the mighty-armed monster stretched out his vast limbs to their full length and seized both Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa at once, gripping them with irresistible force. Though both brothers were armed with swords and strong bows, fierce in energy and powerful, they found themselves utterly helpless, being dragged by the strength of this formidable being. In that moment, Rāghava’s courage did not waver at all; but Lakṣmaṇa, young and unsupported, was deeply shaken. Distressed, Lakṣmaṇa cried out to his elder brother, “See me, O hero, helpless and fallen under the power of a Rākṣasa! You alone must escape, Rāghava; free yourself. Offer me as a sacrifice to the spirits and flee as you wish. You will soon reach Vaidehī—I am certain of it—and you will regain the kingdom of your fathers and grandfathers. When you are established in your kingdom, O Rāma, always remember me.” Hearing these words, Rāma replied to the son of Sumitrā, “Do not be afraid in vain, O hero; one such as you should not despair.” Even as he spoke, the cruel being drew nearer to the brothers. Then the mighty-armed Kabandha, foremost among Dānavas, addressed them: “Who are you two, with shoulders like bulls, bearing great swords and bows? You have come to this dreadful place, destined by fate to fall under my gaze. Tell me, what is your purpose here, and why have you come? Here I remain, tormented by hunger, and you have entered my domain with bows, arrows, and swords, standing like bulls with sharp horns. You have come swiftly to me; for you, life is now hard to obtain.” Hearing these dreadful words, Rāma, his mouth parched, spoke to Lakṣmaṇa: “O truly valiant one, we have encountered a calamity harsher than any before. Disaster has come, bringing death, before I could recover my beloved. The power of Time is immense over all beings, O Lakṣmaṇa. See, O tiger among men, how you and I are bewildered by misfortune. There is no burden too great for fate among all beings. Even heroes, strong and skilled in weapons, fall in battle when struck by Time, just as sandbanks collapse.” Thus speaking, the steadfast and truly valiant son of Daśaratha, famed and powerful, looked at Saumitri, bold in action, and composed his own mind firmly. Now, as the seventieth sarga begins, listen: Seeing the two brothers standing there, bound fast by his arms, Kabandha spoke: “Why do you stand still, having seen me, hungry as I am, O best of warriors? By fate you have been sent here, your senses destroyed, for my food.” Hearing these timely and urgent words, Lakṣmaṇa—though distressed—remained resolute and spoke: “Very soon, that vile rakshasa will seize both you and me; therefore, let us swiftly cut off his mighty arms with our swords. This terrifying, huge-bodied rakshasa, with powerful arms, has conquered the world and now wishes to kill us both. O Rāghava, for a king, the slaying of those who are helpless is disgraceful, like killing sacrificial animals brought to the midst of a ritual.” As the brothers conferred, the enraged rakshasa, mouth agape and dreadful, began to devour them. But the two Raghavas, skilled in discerning the right moment, joyfully drew their swords and, with precise blows, cut off Kabandha’s arms at the shoulder. Rāma swiftly severed the rakshasa’s right arm, and the heroic Lakṣmaṇa cut off the left. With his arms cut off, the mighty-armed Kabandha fell to the ground with a great roar, resounding through the sky, earth, and all directions like a thundercloud. Seeing himself drenched in streams of blood and his arms severed, the demon, dejected, asked the two heroes, “Who are you?” As he spoke, Lakṣmaṇa, marked by auspicious signs, told the mighty Kabandha of their lineage: “This is Rāma, known among people as the descendant of Ikṣvāku; know me as his younger brother, Lakṣmaṇa. When the kingdom was denied to him by his mother, Rāma was exiled to the forest; he now wanders this great wilderness with me and his wife. While this divinely powerful one dwelt in the lonely forest, his wife was taken by a rakshasa; we are searching for her here. But who are you, and for what reason do you, resembling Kabandha, wander in the forest, moving about with a shining mouth on your chest and your legs broken?