Vishalya Comes to Rama's Camp and Lakshmana Is Freed of the Shakti

Praising Chandrapratima, Hanuman, Bhamandala, Angada and others take counsel and reach Ayodhya in an instant, waking the sleeping Bharata with music. They bow and tell him of Sita's abduction, the war with Ravana and the shakti that struck Lakshmana, and Bharata, grieved and angry, at once has the war drum sounded.

All Ayodhya wakes in alarm at midnight, wondering whether Ativirya's son has attacked: warriors leave their wives to arm themselves, women clutch their children, and householders hide golden pots and jewel caskets in cellars. Shatrughna rides to the palace on an elephant with ministers and armed men, and Bharata orders all to prepare for war.

Bhamandala, Hanuman and Angada explain that Lanka lies far away beyond the ocean and ask only for Vishalya's bath water before sunrise. Bharata replies, ‘Why the water? Take Princess Vishalya herself, for a sage told me she will be Lakshmana's queen,’ and sends a trusted man to Dronamegha, who flares up in anger at the news and prepares for war, until Bharata and his mother Kaikeyi go and persuade him to send his daughter.

Bhamandala, Hanuman and Angada seat Vishalya in a vimana with more than a thousand princesses and reach the battlefield in a moment. As she advances into the camp, Lakshmana's swoon lifts, and the shakti, in the form of a radiant goddess, leaves his body amid showers of sparks, like a wicked woman leaving a house, and Hanuman seizes her.

With folded hands she pleads that she is the shakti-vidya Amoghavijaya, famed in the three worlds and bound to serve whoever masters her: when Muni Bali stood in pratima yoga (motionless meditation) on Mount Kailasa and Ravana, worshipping in the Jina temple, played upon a sinew of his own arm and sang the Lord's praises, Dharanendra's throne shook and he pressed her on Ravana though Ravana declined. She slays whomever she strikes and none can withstand her except the great sati Vishalya, whose fierce penance in a past life makes her flee at a mere glance, and Hanuman, knower of truth, forgives her and lets her go.

Vishalya, full of modesty, bows at Rama's feet and, urged by her companions, sits by the sleeping Lakshmana, touches his feet with her lotus hands and anoints her husband's whole body with Malaya sandal. The thousand princesses take sandal from her hands and sprinkle the Vidyadharas, and all the wounded and unconscious, kings, soldiers, elephants, horses and foot soldiers, and even the senseless Indrajit, Kumbhakarna and Meghanada, are healed.

Lakshmana wakes as from sleep to the sound of the vina, rises in anger crying, ‘Where has that Ravana gone?’, and Rama, thrilled, embraces him while Jambunada and the others recount all that happened. Gazing at Vishalya, whom he takes for Lakshmi, Indrani or moonlight itself, Lakshmana smiles when her companions ask to see their wedding and takes her hand in marriage, and Vishalya's fame spreads through the world.