| Story #1 Indrajit The great Kumbhakarna was dead, his limbs cut off and his body at the bottom of the ocean. Rama and his allies cheered at the giant’s demise. Ravana, upon hearing the news of his brother, wept, cursing Rama as he looked upon the battlefield from atop the wall of Lanka. Indrajit, his son, saw the sorrow that wrapped around Ravana’s mind like a veil. He secretly listened to his father’s curses. “Why, why did Surpanakha mention the beauty of Sita? My thirst for conquest will cause the demise of Lanka. If only I had not known of Sita. Her eyes ensnare, her pursed lips possess more power than ten thousand rakshasa warriors.” Ravana raised his hands in despair towards the sky and let out a fierce growl that echoed across the battlefield. Indrajit could not stomach the despair heard in his father’s voice and approached him. “Father, your woes are ill spoken. I will avenge Kumbhakarna’s death.” “Indrajit, you are a boon from the Gods. What will you do?” Indrajit ran his fingers along the hilt of his sword that dangled from his waist. It was the color of butter, with a round gemstone the color of coal placed at the hilt’s tip. “I will sacrifice to Fire and kill Rama and his allies.” Ravana smiled, and a dark laughter spread like wild thicket across the plains outside Lanka. Indrajit kindled a fire under the hidden banyan grove and poured butter over its flames. From the fire came his invincible chariot pulled by tigers, axes, swords, daggers, spears, and a bow with a quiver of arrows. Indrajit smiled and headed toward the battlefield. Vibhishana warned Rama that the invisible Indrajit was approaching, but there was nothing they could do. Indrajit threw an axe at Rama, but Sugreeva boldly jumped in front of Rama. The axe broke through his ribcage and Sugreeva died. Indrajit shot arrows across the entire field, killing nearly all of Rama’s army. Hanuman was chased by a sword into the sky. When Hanuman was able to grab it, the sword turned into a beautiful woman. “Why do you hold me against my will?” Hanuman released her, and she turned back into a sword, slicing the skin of his legs as he desperately flew from her. Rama tried to guess the position of Indrajit by following the path of his arrows, but they did not follow straight lines. Soon, Rama lay dead, every inch of his body covered with arrows and blood leaking from his wounds. Buck, William. Ramayana. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976. --- This story is particularly interesting in regards to the concept of maya because it is through maya that Indrajit is able to achieve victory. Indrajit, by hiding himself in illusion, is invincible. While Ravana has many capable fighters that have helped him conquer many people across the world, they have not been successful in destroying Rama. General Prahasta dies because of the superior strategies of Rama. Kara dies because of the superior skill of Rama’s bow. It is only through illusion that Rama can be defeated. Because Rama is such a powerful character, the fact that he can be defeated by illusion shows the power of maya. Even Hanuman, who has been gifted with immortality, is injured by the power of maya. The sword thrown by Indrajit, by the power of maya, is turned into a beautiful woman. Hanuman is characterized as being both virtuous and easily distracted by beauty, and the sword uses both of these attributes of Hanuman against him. By using maya to injure two of the strongest characters in the Ramayana, as well as nearly all of Rama’s army, the story of Indrajit shows the tremendous power someone can have if they know how to use maya. |
