327. Angada managed to consolidate the fleeing vanaras.

            Seeing them running away, Angada decided to do something to pacify and bring them back to the fore.  He quickly hopped on to his lieutenants Nala, Neela, Gavaksha and the mighty Kumuda and started his pacification by telling them “Hi! Guys! Why are you running away like cowards? Fie upon you for running away like that forgetting your own dignities as also nobilities of birth and trembling with fear like common vanaras? All of you are born to highly prestigious parents and are renowned for your bravery, courage, heroism, spirit, boldness, gallantry, fearlessness, intrepidity, doughtiness, lion-heartedness and strength. Please return! Are you not ashamed to be afraid of an enemy, however mighty he may be?
       "I am sure that this rakshash is not sent for combat. I am positive that this is merely a great robot made to terrorise us. O! valiant comrades! By our prowess, we shall destroy this robot in case it starts to fight with us. Come back! However,  if the worst comes to the worst, I assure you our supreme benefactor Rama will take care of us.”

          The words of Angada made those competent commanders ashamed of themselves and they meekly returned. Seeing them returning, the other vanaras, who were on the flee returned, too. All the vanaras then assembled together at a suitable place and snatching some trees and made themselves ready for the battle. When Kumbhakarna came within the ambit of their attack, like elephants in rut, those vanaras, having came back, boldly started hitting Kumbhakarna.

               Kumbhakarna,  assaulted with lofty mountain-tops, rocks and trees with blossoms at their ends, stood unshaken. The rocks, fallen on his limbs, broke into pieces. The trees, with blossoms at their ends, were broken and fell shattered on the floor.

               Kumbhakarna started to retaliate by crushing the ranks of vanaras. Many of the foremost among the vanaras fell down on the ground, bathed in blood as they were, looked like fallen trees with crimson flowers, when tossed up by that rakshash.

            Seeing the nonchalance and the enormous might and size of Kumbhakarna, quite a lot of vanaras developed fright and started rearing and running away. In that process some fell in the ocean and some inhabited the sky and some others tried to go back to Kishkindha by the same route, by which they earlier crossed the ocean.

          Some vanaras becoming pale-faced due to fear, inhabited the mounds and the low grounds. Some bears shaking with fear ascended the trees. Some escaped to a hill. Some were drowned in the ocean. Some had recourse into the caves. Some could not even stand stable on the ground. Some fell down. Some lied down pretending dead.

            Angada, disheartened seeing the en masse fleeing of the vanaras in huge number  shouted at them "Stay! We shall carry on the battle. Come back. I will not spare you, who have retreated, even if you roam over the entire earth.  Why do you safeguard your lives? O valiant vanaras, moving without hindrances! Your wives, when came to know of you running away leaving your weapons aside, will mock at and ridicule you. That would indeed be worse than death for those who do not return.

                 "All of us are born in distinguished races. Are you not ashamed to get frightened, like ordinary vanaras? As you are running away with fear, leaving all your valour, you are indeed unworthy of any honour. Were those boasting words, in which you highly projected yourself in front of Rama, Lakshmana, Sugreeva and others just before coming for the battle were hypocritical?                        "O Vanaras! We will get glory by killing our enemies in battle or if killed on the other hand, we shall enjoy the heaven reserved for the brave warriors. I assure you that Rama will protect all of us from that mountainous  thing called Kumbhakarna."

                Hearing the coaxing words and inferential arguments by Angada, all those fleeing vanaras started returning slowly to the battle field..           

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