Ravana was depressed. Many of his brave and trusted warriors had fallen and the princes of Ayodhya were victorious. The time had come, he thought, for him to seek the help of his valiant brother, Kumbhakarna, who had just begun one of his long spells of sleep.
Waking up the giant of slumber was no easy task. A thousand rakshasas were engaged for the job. Simultaneously they sent up a thunderous roar. They beat on huge noisy drums and blew resounding conches. They smote him and rolled him over.
At last, with a monstrous yawn Kumbhakarna awoke. He took mountains of food and emptied barrels of drink. He was now ready for the fight. He hastened to Ravana to take his orders..
Kumbhakarna sallied forth into the battlefield. The vanaras were terrified when they saw the huge monstrous form advancing towards them.
The mighty rakshasa killed hundreds of vanaras and spread panic in their ranks. Lakshmana tried to stop his progress but in vain.
Kumbhakarna tore a peak off a mountain and hurled it at Rama. But even while the huge boulder was in the air, Rama reduced it to rubble with a shower of arrows. Rama aimed a powerful astra and Kumbhakarna sank to the ground for the sleep of the dead.