Ravana's spies confirmed the rumor: Rama was alive! Enraged, Ravana launched an assault, but the monkeys and bears repelled the rakshasas, felling them with trees, crushing them with rocks, and slashing them with teeth and claws.

Ravana then woke his brother, the giant Kumbhakarna, who had gone back to sleep. "Save me!" Ravana said.

So Kumbhakarna marched into battle, grabbing monkeys and bears by the handful and devouring them.

But Vibhishana reassured Rama. "Ravana has awakened our brother too early!" he explained. "Kumbhakarna will die this day; he cannot escape his fate. Launch a counterattack, and you will be victorious."

Hanuman bravely attacked Kumbhakarna, hurling a mountain-top at the giant. Kumbhakarna stumbled but did not fall, and then landed his spear in Hanuman's chest. Seeing Hanuman wounded, thousands of monkeys jumped on Kumbhakarna, but the giant shook them off.

Sugriva then struck Kumbhakarna with a boulder, smashing it to pieces on his head while Rama aimed his arrows at Kumbhakarna's heart. Still the giant did not fall.

Rama then used his arrows to chop off Kumbhakarna's arms.

Then his legs.

With one more arrow, Rama sliced off Kumbhakarna's head.

So Kumbhakarna died in battle. He could not escape his fate.

After Rama killed Kumbhakarna, Indrajit conducted a ritual to imbue his weapons with even greater power and then returned to the battlefield, invisible.

As Indrajit began to rain down deadly arrows on the monkeys and bears, they screamed in terror, defenseless against this invisible warrior.

"Indrajit has come for us, brother," Rama said to Lakshmana. "We must expose ourselves to him now, before he kills us all."

So Rama and Lakshmana rushed forward, and Indrajit launched his Brahmastra directly at them. The two princes sank to the ground, and Indrajit flew back to Lanka, roaring with the joy of victory.

"That was Indrajit's Brahmastra," shouted Vibhishana in despair. "I don't know any remedy."

"But I do," said Jambavan the bear. "Hanuman must go to Rishabha Mountain in the Himalayas and bring back the sanjivani herb. Do it now, Hanuman!"

Hanuman leaped into the air and headed north. When he reached Rishabha Mountain, he didn't know how to find the sanjivani, so he tore the mountain from the ground and carried it to Lanka.

Hanuman flew so fast that the mountain caught fire, and when Rama and Lakshmana inhaled the smoke of the burning herbs, they revived.

Then the war continued.

Indrajit conjured a Sita illusion and rode towards Hanuman on the battlefield. When he was sure Hanuman was watching, Indrajit grabbed Sita's hair, pulled her head back, and slit her throat with his sword.

Hanuman wailed, overcome with grief, while Indrajit turned and rode back to Lanka.

When Hanuman told Rama what he had seen, Rama stared at him, shocked into speechlessness.

Lakshmana shouted, "I will kill this Indrajit! He must die. He must die today!"

"Be calm," Vibhishana told the princes. "This is another of Indrajit's illusions."

"Will you help me kill Indrajit?" asked Lakshmana.

"I will," replied Vibhishana.

Indrajit worshipped the war-goddess Pratyangira in a hidden shrine, conducting an elaborate ritual so that the devi would make him invincible.

Vibhishana, however, knew where the shrine was. "I will take you there," he said to Lakshmana.

With Vibishana's help, Lakshmana attacked the shrine, forcing Indrajit to break off the ritual. When Indrajit saw that it was Vibhishana who had betrayed him, he shouted, "Uncle, what have you done?"

"Your father has violated every law of good conduct," Vibhishana replied. "I fight for Rama now. I fight for Dharma."

In response, Indrajit attacked both Vibhishana and Lakshmana, but they escaped.

Indrajit returned to Lanka for his chariot and then rode back into battle, determined to kill both Lakshmana and Vibhishana.

When Lakshmana saw Indrajit approaching, he launched an arrow that killed Indrajit's charioteer, and Vibhishana killed all four of Indrajit's horses.

Indrajit and Lakshmana then clashed on foot, raining down arrows on one another.

"I have vowed to kill you!" Lakshmana shouted, invoking Rama as he nocked an arrow.

Lakshmana fired, and the arrow severed Indrajit's head.

Thus Lakshmana fulfilled his vow.

He killed Indrajit.

All the monkeys and bears rejoiced, and Rama embraced his victorious brother, full of gratitude.

Lakshmana's arrow severed Indrajit's head with such force that it flew through the air and landed at Ravana's feet.

"Forgive me, Father," said the head. "I failed you." Then the head spoke no more.

Sulochana, Indrajit's wife, was determined to cremate Indrajit's head and body together.

She walked fearlessly across the battlefield until she found Indrajit's body.

"Indrajit was an obedient son, like you," she said to Rama, "and I am a faithful wife, like Sita. I beg you: let me take my husband's body away from here."

Rama agreed, and Sulochana carried Indrajit's body away, grieving for her husband.

Across the battlefield, Rama saw a rakshasa ferociously attacking the monkeys and bears. As he watched, Rama realized the rakshasa was tattooed all over with his name.

"How strange!" Rama said to Vibhishana. "Who is that?"

"He is Taranisen," Vibhishana explained, "and he worships you. He bears your name everywhere, but not on his teeth. Strike him in the teeth, and he will fall."

Rama plunged into battle and struck the strange warrior in the teeth, thus killing him.

After the battle, Rama asked Vibhishana, "How did you know about his teeth?"

"Because," Vibhishana said sadly, "he was my son."

Ravana's son Virabahu was devoted to Vishnu. Seeing Rama in battle, he recognized Rama as Vishnu on earth.

"O God!" shouted Virabahu, bowing down before Rama. "I am yours! Let your sword send me to heaven." Then he offered his neck to Rama's sword.

"I cannot kill someone who shows such devotion," Rama said.

"Then I will make you kill me," shouted Virabahu, and he launched an attack. They fought violently, until finally Rama's sword cut off Virabahu's head.

The head's mouth kept chanting the name of Rama.

Rama bent down and touched the head, and Virabahu ascended to heaven.