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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 'I have a feeling that they are no humans and they must be the very Narayana in human form,' Indrajit told Ravana. 'But that doesn't matter now. They may be or they may not be.
'anayadhu vEru nirkka.' Let that be on one side.
'annadhu pagardhal,' To call them as the reincarnations of the Supreme (and looking for an opportunity to stop the war now)
'aaNmai vinayana andru' does not befit manliness.
'nindru vIzhndhadhu vIzhga.' Let all those who have died (for our sake) be lost to us for ever. There is only one thing left for me to do now.
'mUNdu yaan pOi nikumbalai viraivin eydhi,' I have to reach Nikumbhila now quickly.
'thuni aRu vELvi valli iyatrinaal mudiyum thunbam.' 'And if I continue the half-completed sacrifice and complete the Yaga, we will be ridden of all problems.'
As we have seen earlier, Indrajit had performed six
yagjnas, and was performing his seventh - Nikumbhila - when Ravana entered the hall and stopped it, halfway through. Brahma had granted him a boon that at the conclusion of the Nikumbhila Yaga, he would receive a chariot from Agni, drawn by horses that course anywhere and everywhere that Indrajit desires, at his will. Apart from this, he would also receive the ultimate of all weapons, Brahmasiras, and by the strength of that missile, he would remain deathless until he fires the first arrow.
This is what Vibishana informs Rama in a later canto before Lakshmana sets out for his third and final war with Indrajit. "A (mystic) missile known by the name of Brahmasira (so called because it is presided over by Brahma) as well as horses coursing at his will as been well-nigh secured by that hero by virtue of a boon granted by Brahma (the self-born creator) pleased with his asceticism." (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, Canto LXXXV, Sloka 12)
 'But there is a problem. There are certain essential prerequisites that the Nikumbhila Yaga demands. When Indrajit sits for the Yaga, he should not get up until it is finished. If he completes the Yaga without being interrupted in any manner, he would become invincible. "If he gets up after concluding the ritual undertaken (by him) know us all as killed," says Vibishana. (Ibid 13) But if there is an enemy of Indrajit who marches on him,
before he (Indrajit) is able to reach the foot of the banyan tree (Nikumbhila, in other words) or before Indrajit is able to propitiate the fire - complete the Yaga with
havis - that enemy of Indrajit would be the cause of the death of Indrajit
That is, Indrajit should be able to complete the Nikumbhila Yaga without any external disturbance. In case there is such a disturbance in any form by - obviously - one of his enemies, before the commencement of the Yaga, or even if it is halfway through, then Indrajit had no chance of winning that enemy over. That enemy then becomes the superpower, to obliterate him.
Therefore, if Indrajit starts his Yaga now, it is very highly necessary that Rama and Lakshmana should not come to know of it. They should be rendered mentally unfit - rendering them physically unfit was impossible - so that they lose interest in everything. More than that, they should become panicky about the safety of their kith and kin and rush back to their own place. If that happens, then Indrajit would have purchased adequate time to complete the work in hand and that would be end of all the woes of rakshasas. 'And then I have to do something in that direction to divert their attention and seed panic in their minds,' thought Indrajit.
More follows...
Published on 26th May 2002
Hari Krishnan
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