Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 28: Śrī Rāma Attacks Khara
Text 3.28.24
तं चतुर्भिः खरः क्रुद्धो रामं गात्रेषु मार्गणैः।
विव्याध युधि मर्मज्ञो मातङ्गमिव तोमरैः॥
taṁ caturbhiḥ kharaḥ kruddho rāmaṁ gātreṣu mārgaṇaiḥ
vivyādha yudhi marmajño mātaṅgam iva tomaraiḥ
tam1 caturbhiḥ = with four; kharaḥ = Khara; kruddhaḥ = angry; rāmam = with Rāma; gātreṣu = on His body; mārgaṇaiḥ = arrows; vivyādha = pierced; yudhi = in this battle; marmajñaḥ = who knew about the vulnerable vital spots [on the body of an opponent]; mātaṅgam = [one would pierce] an elephant; iva = just as; tomaraiḥ = with goads.
Angry with Rāma in this battle, Khara who knew about the vulnerable vital spots [on the body of an opponent] pierced His body with four arrows just as [one would pierce] an elephant with goads.
Goads are used to drive elephants. “Four [arrows]” should be understood to mean “many [arrows]” since [the next verse] reiterates it with the word bahubhiḥ (“by many”).1