Wednesday 11 May 2016

351. Lakshmana sent Inderjit to meet his Maker.

                Indrajit, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, willpower and a lot of grit, continued his battle, blazed with spirit, standing on the ground. However, he was terribly irritated and awfully enraged. He noticed that his army of rakshashas were holding their end of the fight quite well. He passed on this message to them “These quarters are wrapped on all sides with abundant darkness. O my dear brave fellows! It is totally impossible to identify at this time who is who. You continue your courageous fight and keep all the monkeys engaged. In the meanwhicle, I, on my part, will coolly  slip out of the battle-field, and return in another chariot. Wish you all the best.”
        Seeing and satisfied that his message was well received and getting executed, Indrajit, happily smiling that the monkeys were getting fooled, entered the City of Lanka without any of his enemies getting wise. He selected and ascended the best available chariot, which was beautiful, decked with gold, furnished with darts, swords and arrows, yoked with excellent horses, directed by a charioteer who could understand those horses properly and could give credible instructions to them, and was well aware that Indrajit was a conqueror with extraordinary energy.
            Surrounded by a troop of important and valiant rakshashas Inderjit sallied forth from the city wearing a winning smile. As there was no action from Inderjit, Lakshmana and all the vanaras were under the happy impression that being unable to get any better of them, he sneaked away from the battle field and hiding somewhere like a coward. All of them were mightily surprised when that rakshash Inderjit started attacking Lakshmana and Vibhishana, that too from a lovely chariot.
         Guessing the confused and erroneous reaction of the enemy, Indrajit started annihilating a bunch of vanaras at a time. Seeing scores and scores of their comrades were being killed systematically by the arrows of the rakshash Indrajit, the terrified vanaras who somehow escaped the arrows of that rakshash, rushed to Lakshmana for refuge.
         While admiring the way Indrajit fooled his enemies, Lakshmana totally disagreed his action, to wit, killing the hapless vanaras who were not a match to his prowess and valour. He became very angry with that rakshash for that improper, unsuitable, unacceptable, tasteless, unwarranted, incongruous and unbecoming action. He decided to punish him without any delay. His anger made him more agile than he usually was. Lakshmana broke the bow of Indrajit who was wondering how it was done by Lakshmana as he (Inderjit) did not see Lakshmana taking the arrow, fixing it in his bow etc. Hurriedly, he took another bow and before he could make it ready, Lakshmana broke that bow, too.
        Lakshmana followed up his punitive action on Indrajit with five arrows which penetrating through Indrajit’s body, fell to the ground like huge red serpents.
      Spewing blood from his month, Indrajit, took hold of another bow with the bow-string firmly fastened and which was stronger than the earlier bow. With utmost agility, Indrajit, aiming at Lakshmana, streamed forth a shower of arrows, like rainfall.
     Lakshmana coolly warded off those arrows of Indrajit, who was absolutely confident that Lakshmana would be hit by those arrows. 
Lakshmana then pierced all the rakshashas who were in the near vicinity of Indrajit, with three arrows each, demonstrating his speed in discharging missiles. He followed it up with an array of arrows on Inderjit, which made their marks.
            Seeing that Inderjit was very capable adversary, Lakshmana decided to adopt somewhat unethical means by eliminating the head of the charioteer of Indrajit.
      Those horses, bereft of a charioteer, without getting perturbed, ran up the chariot as a matter of course in a circular fashion and continued to draw the chariot. Everyone looking at it was absolutely wonderstruck and awed. Lakshmana did not have the heart to kill those wonderful horses. As they were protecting their master, Inderjit, in some oblique manner, Lakshmana  perforce had to hit them with arrows in such a manner that those horses are physically hurt only and not repeat not killed, so as to make them move erratically due to the pain.
          Getting irritated with that unorthodox act of Lakshmana, Indrajit struck Lakshmana with ten arrows, which were  destroyed when they hit the armour of Lakshmana. That made Inderjit realize that Lakshmana was protected by an impenetrable armour. Indrajit, therefore, hit Lakshmana in the forehead with three arrows. With those three arrows planted in his forehead, Lakshmana was shining like a mountain with three peaks.
         Those two indomitable warriors, Lakshmana and Indrajit, with their bodies stained in blood, were shining  like Kimshuka trees in blossom. Those two archers, with determination pierced their opponent in all limbs with dreadful arrows.
        It suddenly flashed in the mind of Indrajit that his this unenviable position in the battle field was due to the fact that his own uncle, Vibhishana who correctly guessed his move to Nikumbhila. This made him very angry and he hit Vibhishana in his face, with three arrows. Then he vent his anger by hitting all the vanara chiefs he could see with a single arrow each.
         Vibhishana highly  enraged with him told him silently "You lousy fellow! Being my own nephew I did not have the heart to hurt you myself. I thought that you will reciprocate   that sentiment, too. Now that you have demonstrated that you do not have any such tenderness in you, I will now show you what I can do to discomfort you." and killed the horses of his won nephew, Indrajit with his mace. Seeing that his chariot was now  made deprived of horses, too, by his uncle, Indrajit getting highly angry with his uncle hurled his javelin towards his uncle with all the force he could muster.
          Seeing that Javelin rushing towards Vibhishana, Lakshmana broke it into ten pieces with his arrows and felled it on the floor. Vibhishana, whose anger did not subside, dug five arrows into the bosom of Indrajit. Those arrows made their mark.  Enraged with his once dear uncle,  Indrajit decided a severe punishment on him by killing him with a deadly arrow he got from Yama.
        Seeing that great arrow seized by him, Lakshmana took out another equally or perhaps more powerful arrow, he got from Kubera in his dream. 
           Those arrows, released from the bows of the two  collided each other powerfully. The collision of those arrows of terrible form broke out a fierce fire comprising of smoke and sparkles. Hitting each other like two major planets, those two arrows burst into a hundreds of pieces and fell on the ground.
           In the like manner each opponent tried different Astras which were annulled by some other more powerful Astra . 
        The firmament was filled with Indra with his devas and other deities to witness that wonderfully wonderful battle between the two of the very, very and very capable and competent warriors of all times.
       As Indra and the all the other deities very much wanted the defeat and death of that awful rakshash Inderjit, all of them protected Lakshmana in the battle-field.
    Then, Lakshmana fitted another excellent Astra, which he believed will tear down Indrajit. This is the astra by which Indra was able to conquer the danavas in a combat which raged between them. Fitting that astra to his bow and drawing it, the Lakshmana prayed “O my dear arrow! If Rama the son of Dasaratha has set his mind on virtue, keeps up his promise and is second to none in his prowess, destroy Indrajit.”
         Then drawing up to the ear the bow string he hurled the arrow towards Indrajit. That arrow did not fail. That large head of Indrajit, separated from his trunk and moistened with blood, was seen on the ground, shining like a huge gold ball.
        The headless body of Indrajit then forthwith fell to the ground, with his bow shattered. Seeing Indrajit killed, all vanaras and Vibhishana roared in rejoice, as did the devas, when Vritra was killed.
        The killing of Inderjit was  hailed as a victory for devas (including Indra), distinguished and eminent sages, Gandharvas and the Apsaras, and as such all of them shouted so. 
         Completely stunned and stupefied, the entire army of Inderjit ran  away to various directions.
        Sound of the playing of large drums was heard from the firmament, The melody produced by dancing Apsaras  and the songs of Gandharvas were also heard.  Beautiful flowers rained along with showers of praises. 
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