January 14 - Sargas 80 and 81 of Yuddha Kanda.
Indrajit fights a Mayavi war and hurts Sri Rama and Lakshmana. Lakshmana wants to launch the Brahmastra invoking the extermination of the entire rakshasa race. Sri Rama sternly cautions Lakshmana against needless killing of innocents. Instead, he assures Lakshmana, they will find a way to eliminate Indrajit.
Indrajit realizes Sri Rama's confidence and proceeds to bring an illusory persona of Sita in his chariot. Hanuman and the vanaras rush and surround Indrajit. Tormenting her and causing extreme anguish to Hanuman who does not realize that she is not the real Sita, Indrajit proceeds to kill her and returns to Lanka.
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रोषेण महताविष्टो दन्तान् कटकटाय्य च किं कार्यमिति चिन्तयन्
आदिदेशाथ इन्द्रजितं जहि वीर माहावीर्यौ अदृश्यो दृश्यमानो वा सर्वथा त्वं बलाधिकः
"On hearing about the death of Makaraksha (and others), Ravana gnashed his teeth in uncontrollable fury and pondered what to do. He then called Indrajit, and said, "go kill Rama and Lakshmana, either being visible or invisible, after all, you are the greatest warrior in existence.""
Valmiki describes Indrajit's sacrifice as a preparation for his war, offering oblations as he wore red garments and used iron ladles. He placed his tomara and astras around the fire. He offered a live black goat into the fire. The fire erupted in acceptance and seemed to confer victory. Yajneshvara himself appeared and gladly accepted the sacrifice.
Using his special rakshasa power to become invisible at will, Indrajit went in his dazzling, splendidly decorated, and equipped chariot.
Sri Rama and Lakshmana were ready for battle, with their heads, flanked by the bow and quiver on either side of their massive shoulders, appearing like a couple of three-hooded divine serpents.
Indrajit attacked them with a hail of arrows. Sri Rama and Lakshmana received that hail and responded with their own divine arrows, which did not find the invisible Indrajit as their target.
Indrajit created a dark pall in the sky with a smoky cover where nothing was visible. The rumble of his chariot and the twang of his bow were also not heard.
विव्याध समरे कृद्धः सर्वगात्रेषु रावणिः "Indrajit was able to hurt Sri Rama all over with his hail of arrows."
Soon Sri Rama's and Lakshmana's arrows started to find Indrajit as their target and there was a shower of those arrows covered with his blood from the sky.
Seeing the considerable damage to the vanara army and feeling greatly agitated by all the injuries being inflicted on Sri Rama and himself, Lakshmana burst out in rage.
लक्ष्मणस्तु ततः कृद्धो भ्रातरं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ।
ब्राह्ममस्त्रं प्रयोक्ष्यामि वदार्थं सर्वराक्षसाम् ॥
"Oh, Sri Rama, let me launch the Brahmastra itself, invoking the total annihilation of all rakshasas!"
तमुवाच ततो रामो लक्ष्मणं शुभलक्षणम् ।
नैकस्य हेतो रक्षांसि पृथिव्यां हन्तुमर्हसि ॥
"Nay, Lakshmana, just to kill one rakshasa, you cannot afford to eliminate all the rakshasas in this world!"
अयुध्यमानं प्रच्छन्नं प्राञ्जलिं शरणागतम् ।
पलायमानं मत्तं वा न हन्तुं त्वमिहार्हसि ॥
तस्यैव तु वधे यत्नं करिष्यामि महाभुज ।
आदेक्ष्यावो महावेगानस्त्रानाशीविषोपमान् ॥
"Lakshmana, you should not kill one who is not fighting any battle, one who is hiding from battle, one who is bowing down to you in surrender, one who is running away from battle, or who is inebriated. Indeed, oh one with magnificent shoulders! (=great warrior), I think we shall succeed in killing Indrajit (without killing others needlessly) with our powerful and extremely fast arrows, tipped as they are with deadly poisons of serpents."
Sri Rama added that Indrajit's trick of invisibility had so far allowed Indrajit to escape the great vanaras, who would finish him off at once if he became visible. Sri Rama added that eventually, Indrajit would have to succumb to his arrows, wherever he may run to escape - whether inside the earth's cavity, in the sky, or the netherworld. He would be burnt down by Sri Rama's arrows.
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As Sri Rama was looking around to locate the coordinates of Indrajit, the rakshasa realized that the game was up. He went back to Lanka and came back again through the southern gate, this time with a really mean trick.
इन्द्रजित्तु रथे स्थाप्य सीतां मयामयीं तदा ।
बलेन महतावृत्य तस्या वधमरोचयत् ॥
"Indrajit brought an illusory, fake Sita in his chariot, tormenting her and planning to kill her in full view of the vanaras."
Just as all the vanaras surrounded him readying for battle, Hanuman led their attack with a huge mountain peak poised in his hands. Then Hanuman saw Sita in Indrajit's chariot!
एकवेणिधरां दीनामुपवासकृशाननाम् परिक्लिष्यैकवसनाममृजां राघवप्रियाम् रजोमलाभ्यामालिप्तैः सर्वगात्रैर्वरस्त्रियम् ।
"Hanuman was deeply aggrieved to recognize Sita, with her single plait, looking miserable and famished by fasting, wearing a faded garment, without any unguents (customary for a noble lady), with her entire body covered with dirt, and yet radiant as a supreme example of womanhood."
Wondering what was Indrajit's game, he rushed at him, shouting. Indrajit unsheathed his sword, and grabbed that Sita by her hair, violently shaking her. Hanuman started weeping.
तां दृष्ट्वा चारुसर्वाङ्गीं रामस्य महिषीं प्रियाम् ।
अब्रवीत्परुषं वाक्यं क्रोधाद्रक्षोधिपात्मजम् ॥
"Looking at the most beautiful and virtuous queen, beloved of Sri Rama, in that frightful condition, Hanuman shouted in extreme rage at Indrajit:"
दुरात्मनात्मनाशाय केशपक्षे परामृशः ।
ब्रह्मर्षीणां कुले जातो राक्षसीं योनिमाश्रितः ॥
"Oh evil rakshasa, fie on you! How dare you touch a lady's hair like this, inviting your own retributive destruction! What good is it that you are descended from Brahmarshis, after all, you were born in a rakshasi womb!"
धिक्त्वां पाप समाचारम् "I condemn you, you vile one, you are merciless, you are cultureless, you are worthless, you are devoid of true bravery. What harm has this divine lady, so wretched in her separation from Sri Rama, done to you that you beat her!?"
सीतां त्वं हत्वा तु न चिरं जीविष्यसि कथञ्चन - "There is absolutely no chance of your living for even a little while after killing Sita. I shall wring out your life."
Hanuman launched himself along with other vanaras on Indrajit's chariot. Indrajit shot effective arrows and warded them off. He then said in apparent success, "The reason for which Rama, Lakshmana, and you all have come here, this Sita, I shall now kill in full view of all of you. Then I shall come after each one of you including Vibhishana. You said, don't kill a woman. I hear you, but I know if some deed hurts the enemy it should be done." Saying this, Indrajit slashed a bewailing Sita and cut her down in the middle into two halves. He then said to Hanuman, "Know that the one reason you have all come here is now futile as I have killed Sita." Saying this, and giving out roars of delightful victory, Indrajit left the battlefield, while the vanaras were consumed by distress and dispersed.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
