Lakshmana Kills Indrajit

Meanwhile, Indrajit began a special yagya. If successful, no one could defeat him. Vibhishana recommended sending an army under Lakshmana's leadership to disrupt the sacrifice. Vibhishana, Hanuman, Lakshmana, and some monkeys reached the mountain peak where Indrajit was performing his yagya. The monkeys distracted Indrajit and destroyed his yagya. Under normal circumstances, Rama would never order his army to destroy a yagya, but this one was being performed with evil intentions and was, therefore, unholy. The monkey army then agitated Indrajit, forcing him to fight.

A fierce battle ensued between Indrajit and Lakshmana. These two great warriors were evenly matched, neither considering retreat. The monkeys eventually broke Indrajit's chariot and killed his horses. Lakshmana then held a fire arrow and said, "If King Dasharatha's son, Rama, is following the path of righteousness, may this arrow kill Indrajit." He shot the fire arrow at Indrajit's neck, severing his head. After Indrajit's death, joy filled the monkey army.

When Ravana heard about Indrajit's death, he was speechless for a moment and then fainted. Upon regaining consciousness, he lamented, "O son Indrajit, why have you left me and gone? There was no one else like you in the world. No army on earth could survive your attacks, yet you were killed by an ordinary man. How did this happen? Without you, the entire planet has become desolate for me. Now that you're dead, I no longer wish to live. Son, where have you gone, leaving behind me, your mother, and your beloved wife?"

The despondent Ravana forgot that he was the main reason for the death of his sons. His grief quickly turned into anger. He considered Sita the root cause of this problem and prepared to kill her. Remembering how his son had killed a fake Sita, he decided that the real Sita should be killed. Grabbing a sword, he rushed toward the Ashok Garden. His ministers and queens ran behind him. They had seen Ravana angry before, but this time, he was furious. Seeing Ravana running toward her, Sita understood that this time, Ravana wasn't coming to request her with loving words. His eyes were filled with hatred and contempt, and he was boiling with rage. How quickly the thoughts of wicked people change! Such people make affectionate requests one day, but their love turns into hatred the next day. Due to her separation from Rama, Sita was ready to give up her life.

One of Ravana's ministers stepped forward to try to appease him. "O King," he addressed Ravana, "how can you think about murdering Sita? She depends upon your compassion and is helpless at the moment. Please leave her alone. Take your anger out on her husband and his younger brother—they have caused the death of your sons. Go to the battlefield and defeat the enemy yourself. When you return victorious, Sita will automatically be yours." Fortunately, Ravana liked this advice, but he remained entangled in his thoughts for some time. After that, he returned to his court.

The next day, Ravana ordered some brave soldiers of his choice to go to the battlefield and not to return until they had killed the two Kosala princes. Ravana's soldiers arrived at the battlefield at daybreak, armed with deadly weapons. A bloody battle broke out between the two armies, each thirsty for the other's blood. It was such a gruesome battle that a river of blood began to flow. In the end, Rama used his Gandharvastra, which caused hundreds of Ramas to appear in all four directions. The effect of this weapon was that the demon soldiers lost their memory. With one strike, Rama destroyed the entire group of Ravana's soldiers.

An atmosphere of grief spread throughout the city of Lanka. The women who lamented blamed Shurpanakha. They said that Shurpanakha's evil deeds were the root cause of Indrajit's death and the demons now being on the brink of destruction. Ravana tried to console them by saying it was inappropriate to shed tears for a valiant warrior like Indrajit, who was the pride of the demon race.