Ravana became overwhelmed with great anger when he heard that Makaraksha was killed, and he ground his teeth together. Thinking about what to do in that circumstance, he angrily commanded his son Indrajit: “While making yourself invisible or visible, however it may be, kill the two heroic brothers, Rama and Lakshmana! You are more powerful than them in every respect. You have defeated in battle Indra, whose actions are unequaled. Why would you not be able to kill two human beings when you encounter them on the battlefield?”
Accepting his father’s command, Indrajit offered oblations into the sacred fire in the sacrificial arena according to the regulations. Even as he was offering oblations into the fire, Rakshasis arrived there bringing red turbans for the priests. The handles of weapons served as the blades of grass, wood of the Bibhitaka tree served as fuel, the robes worn by the attendees were red and the sacrificial utensils were made of iron. The area around the fire was strewn with weapons, such a lances. Indrajit grabbed a living black goat by the neck. After the goat was thrown in all at once, a smokeless fire sprang up from the fuel, displaying signs indicative of victory. The deity of fire rose up out of the fire, shining like molten gold. Inclining to the right, he personally accepted that offering. After offering oblations and satisfying the gods, Danavas, and rakshasas, Indrajit mounted an excellent chariot and vanished from sight. Drawn by four horses and supplied with sharp arrows and a great bow, that fine chariot looked very beautiful. Covered with smelted gold, worked with the images of deer, full moons and crescent moons, the body of the chariot was shimmering. Indrajit’s standard, which was adorned with large rings of gold and vaidurya gems, it looked like a blazing fire. Indeed, protected by that chariot and by his Brahmastra weapon, the extremely powerful Indrajit was very difficult to overcome.
Coming out of the city and becoming invisible by offering oblations into the sacred fire with incantations, Indrajit said: “Today I shall bestow upon my father a great victory by killing those two princes who have spent their exile in the forest uselessly. After ridding the earth of monkeys and slaying Rama and Lakshmana, I shall bring the highest pleasure to my father.” Saying this, he became invisible. Commanded by Ravana and equipped with a fierce bow and steel arrows, Indrajit angrily rushed onto the battlefield.
Indrajit saw the two valiant warriors, Rama and Lakshmana, who looked like two three-headed snakes. Concluding that they were the persons he was looking for, he strung his bow and covered all directions with showers of arrows, as a cloud would pour down rain. While seated on his aerial chariot, the invisible Indrajit struck the two princes with sharp arrows as they stood on the battleground. When enveloped by Indrajit’s arrows, Rama and Lakshmana placed arrows charged with divine weapons to their bows. Though covering the sky with amaze of arrows charged with weapons as brilliant as the sun, they were not able to touch Indrajit with them. In fact, the glorious Indrajit created darkness with smoke, covering the sky, obscuring the directions as if they were covered with a dense fog. Although he was constantly moving about, no one could hear the sound of his hand on the bowstring, nor the clatter of his wheels and horses, nor could his form be seen.
In that intense darkness, Indrajit released an amazing shower of rocks and a shower of steel arrows. Enraged as he was, Indrajit seriously pierced all of Rama’s limbs with arrows as bright as the sun which he had received as a boon. While being hit with those steel arrows, like two mountains enduring rain showers, Rama and Lakshmana released sharp golden-shafted arrows. When those arrows guided by buzzard feathers reached Indrajit in the sky, they pierced him and fell to the ground stained with blood. Shining due to the exceeding amount of arrows, the two princes knocked Indrajit’s arrows down with innumerable arrows having crescent-shaped heads. The two sons of King Dasharatha directed their arrows in the direction from whence They saw the arrows falling. Indrajit, who was deft at wielding weapons, drove about in his chariot piercing the two princes with sharp arrows.
Pierced by the well-made golden-shafted arrows, the two princes looked like two blossoming Kimshuka trees. No one could see his form, rapid movement, bow or arrows. No one could know anything about him, like the sun when covered with clouds. When pierced by him on the battlefield, monkeys fell down dead by the hundreds. Angered by this, Lakshmana said to His brother: “I shall employ the Brahmastra weapon in order to kill all the rakshasas.” Then Rama gave Him the following advice: “You should not kill all the rakshasas on the earth just to kill one of them. You should not kill anyone who is not fighting, who is hiding, who has surrendered with joined palms, who is fleeing or who is intoxicated. I shall try to kill Indrajit, O strong-armed one. We two together shall use very fast mystic weapons like venomous serpents. When the monkey troop leaders see Indrajit, who is a vile Rakshasa sorcerer hiding himself in his invisible chariot, they will kill him. Even if he enters the earth, the sky, the subterranean region or the vault of heaven and hides himself in that way, when burnt by my weapons, he will fall lifeless on the ground.”
After speaking in this way, Lord Rama, who was surrounded by monkeys, began thinking about how to quickly kill the fierce Rakshasa Indrajit, whose deeds were quite cruel.
Thus completes 80th Chapter of Yuddha Kanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, the work of a sage and the oldest epic.
Sriman Moola Rama Vijayate
