The Writer Of Mahabharata-VYASA MUNI

Vedavyasa Reveals the Vedic Chronology

of

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita

Showing great compassion for all living entities Lord Krishna’s lila avatar and literary incarnation Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa composed the authentic historical treatise known throughout creation as the Mahabharata. The eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad-Gita are found in the Bhisma-parva, chapters 25 to 42 of the Mahabharata and they are the exact words that Lord Krishna spoke in Sanskrit on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, India over five thousand years ago in 3137 B.C. The proof that the Mahabharata is definitely an authentic historical treatise and not allegorical or mythological is verified in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 1, chapter 4, verse 25 as follows.

stri-sudra-dvijabandhunam trayi na sruti-gocara

karma-sreyasi mudhanam sreya evam bhaved iha

iti bharatan akhyanam krpaya munina krtam

Translation

Out of compassion the great sage Vedavyasa thought it wise that all mankind achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the historical treatise known as the Mahabharata for the women, laborers and friends of the brahmanas.

The external reason chosen by Vedavyasa was to make easily available for all humanity through dramatic narration a simple but sublime way to understand the path of righteousness. This is corroborated in Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 1, chapter 4, verse 29:

bharata-vyapadesena hy amnayarthas ca pradarsitah

drsyate yatra dharmadi stri-sudradibhir apy uta

Translation

Vedavyasa compiled the Mahabharata under the auspices of disciplic succession, properly explaining what is essential so that even women, laborers and those not qualified to read the Vedas can envision the path of righteousness.

Although Vedavyasa was an incarnation of Lord Krishna Himself he was also within the purview of disciplic succession having been initiated by Narada Muni who was initiated by Brahma who was initiated by Vishnu. After writing the four Vedas, the 108 Puranas and the Brahma Sutras, Vedavyasa composed the Mahabharata for the benefit of the common man. But the internal purpose and ultimate reason for doing so was to guide the attention to Lord Krishna. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 3, chapter 5, verse 12 this is fully substantiated:

munir vivaksur bhagavad-gunanam sakhapi te bharatam aha krsnah

yasmin nrnam gramya-sukhanuvadir matir grhita nu hareh kathayam

Translation

Your friend Vedavyasa has already described the sublime transcendental qualities of the Supreme Lord Krishna in his epic narrative Mahabharata. But the real purpose was to draw the attention of worldly people away from mundane topics and direct it towards the divine revelation of Bhagavad-Gita spoken by Lord Krishna.

The Bhagavad-Gita chronology is given in Mahabharata, Santi-parva, CCCXLVIII.

treta-yugadau ca tato vivasvan manave dadau

manus ca loka-bhrty-artham sutayeksvakave dadau

iksvakuna ca kathito vyapya lokam avasthitah

Translation

In the beginning of Treta yuga the supreme science of Bhagavad-Gita was delivered by the sun-god Vivasvan to Vaivasvata Manu the father of mankind who gave it to his son King Iksvaku the ruler of the planet Earth.

Lord Krishna Himself also confirms this exact same disciplic succession in the transferal of the supreme science in the Bhagavad-Gita, chapter 4, verse 1:

sri bhagavan uvaca

iman vivasvate yogam proktavam aham avyayam

vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave'bravit

Translation

The Supreme Lord Krishna said: I instructed this supreme imperishable science unto the sun-god Vivasvan and he instructed it unto Vaivasvata Manu the father of mankind who instructed it to his son King Iksvaku, ruler of all the Earth.

King Iksvaku was the sovereign ruler of Earth at the time he received the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita. He was the progenitor of the solar Raghu dynasty in which the Lord Krishna's avatar as Rama appeared in Ayodhya also in Treta yuga. If we calculate we know that the present age we are in is Kali yuga in which 5000 years have transpired. Before this was Dvapara yuga which had 800,000 years and before this was Treta-yuga which began 1,200,000 before Dvapara-yuga. So from this Vedic information it can be determined that King Iksvaku received the Bhagavad-Gita in this world at the very least 2 million years ago.

Going even further, the lifespan of Vaivasvatu Manu who is the current and seventh Manu in this kalpa is calculated in the Vedic scriptures as being 308,571,428 solar years of which 120,400,000 have transpired. Since the Bhagavad-Gita was given to the sun-god Visvasvan before the current Vaisvasvatu Manu was born then it can be understood that the Bhagavad-Gita was spoken to him at least 120 million 400 thousands years ago.

Going even more further than this we know that one kalpa is calculated in Vedic scriptures as being 4 billion 300 million years. There are 14 Manus is this time period of a kalpa of which our current Vaivasvatu is the seventh Manu. So there were six previous Manus before him and they also received the supreme eternal science known as Bhagavad-Gita. So if we multiply 6 times 308,571,428 which is the time of existence for one Manu we arrive at the time span of 1,851,428,568 solar years and if we add the 120,400,000 years from our current Vaisvasvatu the seventh Manu. It can be determined the Bhagavad-Gita was also spoken 1 billion, 971 million, 828 thousand 568 years ago.

This supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita which the Supreme Lord Krishna gave to the sun-god is in our current time span of the seventh Manu. This is all under the duration of Brahma created from a lotus sprung from the navel of Vishnu. That Brahma was created from a lotus is confirmed in the Brahma Samhita, chapter 5, verse 22:

evam sarvatma-sambandham nabhyam padmam harer abhut

tatra brahmabhavad bhuyas catur-vedi catur-mukhah

Translation

The divine lotus which sprung from the navel of Vishnu is in every way related to the spiritual communion of all souls in existence and is the origin of the four-faced Brahma versed in the four Vedas.

So this is the Vedic information regarding the chronology of the 18 chapters of the supreme science known as Srimad Bhagavad-Gita that was revealed by Lord Krishna to Arjuna amidst the 7 divisions of the Pandava army and the 11 divisions of the Kaurava army just prior to the 18 day battle of Kuruksetra in 3137 B.C. This all transpired during the present life of our current Brahma whose origin was the divine lotus manifested from the navel of Vishnu.

The Vedic scriptures confirm that creation is cyclic and lasts for a lifetime of Brahma. These calculations are measured by a system known as kalaganana which is determined by the astronomical calibrations and movements of celestial stars and planetary bodies in interlocking galaxies and universes. One day and one night of Brahma is 8 billion 640 million Earth years. One year of Brahma is 360 days of Brahma equaling 3 trillion, 110 billion and 400 million Earth years. One lifetime of Brahma is 100 of these years of Brahma equating to 311 trillion and 40 billion years.

The supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita is unable to be understood by unevolved beings of impure consciousness. This supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita is periodically given by the Supreme Lord Krishna or His scriptually revealed incarnations or by his authorised representatives through the auspices of disciplic succession in one of the four bonafide sampradayas being the Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya, the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya, the Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya and the Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya. Having manifested at the beginning of each cyclic creation it eternally manifests again and again with the birth of every Brahma.

Further information of the revelation of the existence of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita shall establish the chronology of six Brahmas previous to our present Brahma’s lotus birth from Vishnu as verified below in Mahabharata, Santi-parva, CCCXLIX.

In Brahma's birth 311 trillion and 40 billion years previous to the birth of our present day Brahmas manifestation from the divine lotus from Vishnu, Brahma was manifest from a golden egg from Vishnu. When the golden egg cracked Brahma emerged and Vishnu communicated the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita to him. Brahma then delivered it to those holy sages known as the Varhishhadas who in turn gave it to a brahmana named Jeshthya well versed in the Sama Veda. The brahmana Jeshthya instructed a king named Avikampana. After this knowledge of the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita disappeared from this world.

In Brahma's birth 622 trillion and 80 billion years previous to the birth of our present day Brahma and before the Brahma manifesting from the golden egg from Vishnu, Brahma then appeared from the nostril of Vishnu. At that time Vishnu himself sang the supreme science known as the Bhagavad-Gita in his presence. Then a fiat of Brahma born from his will named Sanat Kumara studied it thoroughly and instructed it to Prajapati Virana who after studying it taught it to the ascetic Raivya who imparted it to his son of pure soul and firm vows and great intelligence. After this knowledge of the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita disappeared from this world.

In Brahma's birth 933 trillion and 120 billion years previous to the birth of our present day Brahma and before the Brahma manifesting from Vishnu's nostril, Brahma then appeared from the ear of Vishnu. When Vishnu lying upon Sesha Naga desired to manifest creation he reflected upon a being who would be puissant enough to accomplish this. At that time a being competent enough to fulfill this appeared from his ear and Vishnu named him Brahma. Vishnu instructed him to create various kinds of beings to populate creation. Also Vishnu imparted to Brahma the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita. After this Brahma created the various and diverse universes with their varieagated mobile and and immobile creatures. In this time the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita pervaded all of creation. With the knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita which is paramount in righteousness Brahma who was the creator of all the worlds worshipped Vishnu a purusa incarnation of the Supreme Lord Krishna for the benefit of everyone in all the worlds. Then desiring to spread this knowledge Brahma instructed the supreme science of Bhagavad-Gita to the Manu of that timeframe named Svarochish Manu who carefully imparted that knowledge to his son Sankhapada who in turn taught this knowledge to his son Suvarnabha. After this knowledge of the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita disappeared from this world.

In Brahma's birth 1044 trillion and 160 billion years previous to the birth of our present day Brahma and before the Brahma manifesting from Vishnu's ear, Brahma then appeared from the speech of Vishnu. The supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita again manifested itself as well. At that time a rishi named Suparna received it from him. Suparna would recite the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita during the three sandhyas everyday. Knowledge of this supreme science is referred to in the Rig Veda. From the sage Suparna it was obtained by Vayu the wind god who communicated it to those rishis who subsist upon what remains from sacrificial yagna after feeding all the guests. From these rishis the supreme science was obtained by Varuna the god of the ocean. After this knowledge of the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita disappeared from this world.

In Brahma's birth 1355 trillion and 200 billion years previous to the birth of our present day Brahma and before the Brahma manifesting from Vishnu's speech, Brahma then appeared from the eyes of Vishnu. At that time Brahma learned the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita from Soma the moon god. Having received it Brahma then imparted this supreme science to Shiva who subsequently communicated it to all those rishis who are known by the name of Valikhilyas. After this knowledge of the supreme science of Bhagavad-Gita disappeared from this world.

In Brahma's birth 1666 trillion and 240 billion years previous to the birth of our present day Brahma and before the Brahma manifesting from Vishnu's eyes, Brahma then appeared from the mind of Vishnu. Those rishis that subsist only upon the froth of water obtained the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita from Vishnu. These same rishis then gave it to those rishis who are known as Vaikanasas and from them Soma the moon-god received it. After this knowledge of the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita disappeared from this world.

Madhvacarya the establisher of the Brahma Madhva Vaisnava Sampradaya received instructions and knowledge of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita directly from Vedavyasa the author of the Mahabharata who had received the knowledge of Bhagavad-Gita from Narada Muni who had received it from Brahma who is the root source of the Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya and its subsequent disciplic succession. Our present Brahma who was born from the divine lotus received the knowledge of Bhagavad-Gita directly from Vishnu.

This Vishnu is one of three Vishnus and is known as Garbodaksayi Vishnu who is one of three Purusa avatars, which are one of the six groups of incarnations of the Supreme Lord Krishna. This is confirmed in the sublime and authoritative biography Sri Caitanya Caritamrita by Krishna das Kaviraj in Madhya Lila, chapter 22, verse 38.

The six groups of incarnations of the Supreme Lord Krishna are Purusa avatars, Lila avatars, Guna avatars, Yuga avatars, Manvantara avatars and Satyavesa avatars.

Lord Krishna again revealed the supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita which had disappeared from this world as is confirmed in Bhagavad-Gita, chapter 4, verse 2 below:

evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh

sa kaleneha mahata yogo mastah parantapa

Translation

The supreme science of the Bhagavad-Gita was thus received through the auspices of disciplic succession and the saintly kings received it in this way. But due to the passage of time this knowledge has been almost lost.

Thus has been given an authorized account of the chronological history of the supreme science known throughout all of creation as Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, according to Vedic scriptures compiled by Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa, the son of Parasara from the womb of Satyavati. May all beings in all the worlds be benefited by this supreme science.

Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasadeva

Lila Avatar and Literary Incarnation

Brahma Madhva Vaisnava Sampradaya

Lakshman's Mother- SUMITRA

Sumitra (Sanskrit: सुमित्रा, Tamil: Cumittirai, Burmese: Thumitra, Malay: Samutra, Khmer: Sramut) in the Indian Ramayana epic, was the third^[1] of King Dasaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna. She came from the ancient kingdom of Kashi. She was supposed to be the wisest of the wives of Dasaratha. She was the one to first realize that Rama was the incarnation of Lord Narayana. She even encouraged Lakshmana to accompany Rama and serve him during his exile.
There is a popular story about why twins were born to Sumitra. Dasaratha, despite having three wives had no children and none of the queens had been able to give him an heir to the Ikshvaku dynasty. The thought of his dynasty ending with him saddened Dasaratha and he was very eager to have a son who would take care of the throne of Ayodhya.
Guru Vasistha who was the raj (royal) purohit of Ayodhya asked the King the reason for his sadness and the King conveyed his worries about the lack of a male heir to his dynasty. On Vasistha's request, Dasharatha did a Yagya at the end of which he gave a plate of sweets each to Kausalya and Kaikeyi and asked them to share their plates with the third queen Sumitra. Sumitra got one bite from Kausalya’s plate and one from Kaikeyi’s and thus gave birth to twins. With Kausalya and Kaikeyi each bearing one son. Sumitra’s sons were later named by guru Vasistha as Lakshmana and Shatrughana.

Know About KAIKEYI

Kaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, Kaikeyī, Burmese: Kaike, Malay: Kekayi, Thai: Kaiyakesi, Khmer: Kaikesi), in the Hindu epic Rāmāyaṇa, was the second of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of Bharata. The term Kaikeyī in Sanskrit means "belonging to the Kaikeyas" (Kekeya Kingdom), referring the ruling family of the Kekaya clan, to whom Kaikeyī belonged.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Boon 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Early life

The daughter of the mighty Ashwapati, a long-term ally of Kosala, Kaikeyi married Dasaratha after the latter had promised her father that the son born of her womb would succeed him as King of Kosala. Dasaratha was able to make this promise as his first wife, Kausalya, was childless and not likely to produce a son of her own. Kaikeyi also remained barren for many years of marriage, as a result of which Dasaratha married Sumitra, the princess of Magadha, another kingdom with strong political ties to Kosala.
Kaikeyi's personality is worth examining and provides a strong clue to her motivations which later led to her insisting on the exile of her stepson from Ayodhya. As a young girl and the only sister to seven brothers, Kaikeyi grew up without a maternal influence in her childhood home. Her father had banished her mother from Kekaya after realizing that his wife's nature was not conducive to a happy family life. Amongst other things, due to a boon, Ashwapati was able to understand the language of the birds. However, this was accompanied by a caveat that if he ever revealed the content of bird speak to anyone, even his own mother, that he would forthwith lose his life. One day, the King and his Queen were strolling through the palace gardens when Ashwapati happened to overhear the conversation of a pair of mated swans. The conversation so amused him that he laughed heartily, instigating his wife's curiosity. Despite being aware of the fact that he could not divulge the content of the conversation to her, without losing his life, Kaikeyi's mother insisted on knowing the cause of the King's mirth. When Ashwapati realized that his wife cared little for his life or well-being, he had her banished to her parents' home.
Kaikeyi never saw her mother again. She was raised by her wet nurse, Manthara, who accompanied Kaikeyi to Ayodhya as a trusted maid upon her marriage to Dasaratha. Her father's treatment of her mother and the latter's subsequent exile led to Kaikeyi harboring a deep distrust of men in general and husbands in particular, and to considering their love as "fickle" and "passing" in nature. In addition, she was very insecure in her position as secondary consort to Dasaratha. She realized that Dasaratha deeply respected his Queen and Empress, Kausalya, and had only married her in order to produce the much-needed heir. To this end, Kaikeyi realized that her position in her husband's affections and esteem relied heavily on her ability to produce that heir. When she remained barren, she became increasingly insecure and realized that she could never win in her struggle for supremacy over Kausalya, although Manthara proved to be a great help in this regard. The older woman schemed constantly to further her own position at the Court. And since her position depended on Kaikeyi's status at Court, Manthara lost no opportunity to feed the young Kaikeyi's insecurity and jealousy of Kausalya, despite Dasaratha's obvious enchantment and love for all of his wives. It is important to point out that other sources state that Kaikeyi was not insecure, that she loved her other Queen sisters, and was the backbone of the group. She had saved King Dasaratha in battle and demonstrated her warrior courage.
Manthara's scheming paid off when Kaikeyi was able to convinced her husband to take her along with him during a military campaign against Samhasura, an enemy of both Indra and Dasaratha. During a fierce battle between the two, the wheel of Daśaratha's chariot broke and Samhasura's arrow pierced the King's armor and lodged in his chest. Kaikeyi, who was acting as Dasaratha's charioteer, quickly repaired the broken wheel and then drove the chariot away from the battle field. She nursed the wounded King back to health. Touched by her courage and timely service, Daśaratha offered her two boons. However, Kaikeyī chose to ask those boons later. In addition, she became his favorite wife and finally gained ascendancy over Kausalya.

Boon

Kaikeyi demands that Dasaratha banquish Rama from Ayodhya

Years passed and all three Queens produced sons. Rama, the son of Kausalya, was Dasaratha's favorite son. Rama was a loving, obedient child who followed his father's foot steps and revered Kaikeyi over his own mother, leading to the former's deep love and affection for him. When he turned 16 and was to be crowned King, Kaikeyi was delighted and as happy as she would have been had it been her own son, Bharata's, coronation. However, Manthara, worried that Kaikeyi would lose her status as Chief Queen at Court if Rama ascended the throne (making Kausalya the Queen Mother) decided to instigate trouble She fueled Kaikeyi's dormant jealousy and envy of Kausalya, reminded her that her son's coronation would give Kausalya her former status as the most important of Dasaratha's Queens and would cut Bharata out of the royal lineage for ever. Finally, Kaikeyi's ardent desire to retain superior status over Kausalya motivated her to demand the two boons granted to her years earlier by Dasaratha and to further remind him of his promise to Ashwapati that the son born of her (Kaikeyi's) womb should succeed Dasaratha as King of Kosala. In order to ensure that Rama would be no threat to her son, Kaikeyi further demanded the exile of Rama from Ayodhya for 14 long years, reasoning that this length of time would be enough for Bharata to consolidate his position as King of Kosala.^[1]
But Kaikeyī's desire never bore fruit. After sending his son into exile, a grief-striken Dasaratha died of a broken heart six days after Rama left Ayodhya. She came to blame herself for this death. Furthermore, Bharata swore never to ascend the throne as it was his older brother's birth right. He further blamed her for his father's death and is said never to have addressed her as "Mother" again. Kaikeyi was said to have died a lonely and broken-hearted woman, estranged from her son, his wife (the cousin of Rama's wife, Sita) and their two sons, her only grandchildren.

Mother Of Lord Rama- KAUSALYA

Putrakhameshti performed by Dhasaratha along with his wives

Kausalya (Sanskrit: कौसल्या Kausalyā, Tamil: கோசலை, Thai: Kausuriya, Khmer: Kokalya, Burmese: Kothalla, Malay: Mandudari) in the Indian Rāmāyaṇa epic was the eldest^[1] of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā, she was the daughter of the King of the Kosala Kingdom. She was the mother of Rama, the king of Ayodhya, upon whom the story of the Ramayana is based.

The Father Of Rama- DASHRATHA

Kaikeyi demands that Dasaratha banish Rama from Ayodhya

Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST Daśaratha, Tibetan: ཤིང་རྟ་བཅུ་པ, Khmer: Dasarath, Malay: Dasarata, Burmese: Dasagiri, Yuan: Dattaratthah, Tamil: Tiyataran, Thai: Thotsorot, Lao: Thotarot, Chinese: 十车王)^[1][2] was a king of Ayodhya of the Ikshvaku dynasty whose life story is narrated principally in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was a descendant of Raghu and was the father of Rama, the heroic prince of the Ramayana and an Avatara of the god Vishnu according to Hindu tradition. Dasharatha had three wives namely, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. Rama was the son of Kaushalya, Lakshman and Shatrughna were the sons of Sumitra, and Bharata was the son of Kaikeyi.
Dasharatha had a daughter, Shanta, by his wife Kaushalya. She was the eldest of all his children and married to Rishi Shreengi.

[edit] Ramayana

Vishvamitra requests Dasaratha for Rama and Lakshmana

Four key events in the life of Dasharatha are described in the Ramayana:

• On hearing the great tales of Dasharatha, the demon king Ravana - whose ambition was to rule the three worlds - was filled with envy and sent messengers to the court of Dasharatha asking the king to pay homage and tribute to Ravana or face war. Dasharatha shot off arrows and told the messengers that, on their return, they would find the gates of Ravana's capital Lanka fastened shut by the arrows.

• Dasharatha was famous for his ability to hunt blind, by sound alone. During one of his hunting expeditions, he heard a noise resembling an elephant drinking water, and shot an arrow in that direction. To his chagrin, he found that he had instead shot the young boy Shravan Kumar. In his grief, the boy's mother cursed the king that he too would one day suffer putrasoka (grief of separation from one's progeny) just like she and her husband were suffering. The couple then gave up their lives, not wanting to live after consuming water offered by their son's killer.

• Dasaratha, as a young man, joined the side of the gods in a war against the Asuras. He and his chariot were hit, he was bleeding badly, and his chariot was damaged. Kaikeyi came to his rescue and guided him to safety in his chariot. Upon seeing that she had saved his life, Dasaratha promised Kaikeyi two boons, to which she replied, "My joy is great enough that you still live. What do I want but your love from you my Lord? Keep the two gifts til I ask."

• These incidents in Dasharatha's life played havoc in the future course of events. By performing the Putrakameshti sacrifice to obtain children, Dasharatha was blessed with four sons. When the boys were grown, Dasharatha decided to retire and anoint Rama, the eldest, the crown prince. But before the ceremony took place, the ambitious Kaikeyi asked him to make good the old promise. She demanded for the first boon that her son Bharata be crowned king instead of Rama, and for the second that Rama leave Ayodhya and live in exile for 14 years in forest. The helpless king had to agree to her demands because as a Kshatriya by Dharma, he could not go back on his word. The dejected Dasharatha died of grief not long after Rama had gone into exile, unable to withstand the anguish of separation from his son. This also fulfilled the curse of Shravan Kumar's mother.

Most Powerful Son Of Ravana- MEGHNATHA (INDRAJITA)

'Victory of Meghanada',
Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.

Indrajit (Sanskrit: इन्द्रजीत Indrajīt, Burmese: Indazita, Lao: Inthachi, Yuan: Indhajik, Tamil: Intiracittu, Thai: Inthorochit, Malay: Inderajati) or Meghanatha (Sanskrit: मेघनाथ), a warrior mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana, was the son of the Lankan king Ravana. The word 'Indrajit' literally means the 'conqueror of Indra (the Hindu king of gods)'.
Indrajit played an active role in the great war between Rama and Ravana. He was said to be invincible in battle because of a Yajna he used to perform before every battle. He twice defeated Lakshmana and even Rama once, but on the third occasion Lakshmana disrupted the Yajna with the help of Vibhishana and killed him when he was unarmed.^[1]

Contents  [hide]  1 Biography 2 Brahma's boon 3 Battle against Rama and Lakshmana 3.1 First day 3.2 Second day 3.3 Third day 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Biography

Wayang figure of Indrajit.

Indrajit was born to Ravana and his wife Mandodari, the daughter of Mayasura. He was named "Meghanada" because his birth cry sounded like thunder. He defeated Indra, the king of the Devas, after which he came to be known as 'Indrajit' ("the conqueror of Indra").
At a very young age, Meghnada became the possessor of several supreme celestial weapons, including Brahmastra, Pashupatastra, and Vaishnavastra, under the guidance of Shukra, the guru of the daityas (demons). He was married to Sulochana, the daughter of the King of the Serpents Shesha Naga.

[edit] Brahma's boon

During the Devasura Sangram (the battle between the devas and the asuras), he freed his father from the shackles of Indra. He then turned the tables on Indra, tying him up and mounting him onto his celestial chariot.
At this juncture, Brahma intervened and asked him to free Indra. Meghnada obliged, and was granted a chance to ask for a boon from Brahma. Meghanada asked for immortality, but Brahma remarked that absolute immortality is against the law of the nature. Instead, he was then granted another boon: he would never be won over in any battle, until his Yagna (fire-worship) of his native goddess Nikumbala was disturbed and detroyed. On the completion of the Yagna, a supreme celestial chariot would appear, boarding which, Indrajit would become invincible in any battle. But Brahma also cautioned him that whosoever would destroy this yagna would also kill him. It was Brahma who gave him the name Indrajit ("the conqueror of Indra").

[edit] Battle against Rama and Lakshmana

Indrajit joined the battle when all his brothers had been killed by Rama and his army. His father, Ravana, had been humiliated in the battle by Rama, and his paternal uncle Kumbhakarna had been killed by Rama. Indrajit fought with Rama's army for three days.

[edit] First day

Rama and Lakshmana bound by Indrajit's Nagapasha.

On the first day of his battle with Rama's army, Indrajit was swift with his weapons. He swiftly wiped out the Armies of the Sugriva, calling on the Lord Rama and Lakshmana to come out of their hiding, so he could avenge the deaths of his paternal uncle and his brothers. When Rama and Lakshmana appeared before him, he fought fiercely, and arrested both the brothers using his most nefarious weapon Nagapash (a trap made of million snakes). Both the brothers fell on the ground breathless. They were rescued by the Garuda on behest of Hanuman. Garuda was the enemy of the serpents and also the flying vehicle of Narayana.

[edit] Second day

When Indrajit learned that both the Brothers Rama and Lakhsmana were still alive and were rescued by Garuda, he was fiery and vowed to kill at least one of the brothers that day. When the battle started, he used all his force to cast a havoc on the armies of Sugriva. At this Lakshmana appeared before him, and fought a fierce battle with him. When Indrajit realised that Lakshmana could not be won over, he started using his supreme magical powers, darting across the clouds and skies like a bolt of lightning. He combined his skills of sorcery and deceptive warfare, repeatedly vanishing and reappearing behind Lakshmana's back to catch him off-guard, when used his fiercest and deadliest weapon, Shakti. On being impaled in the back by the weapon, Lakshmana fell unconscious, poised to die precisely at the following sunrise. His life was saved by Lord Hanuman, who kidnapped the Rajvaidya(royal physician) Sushena from the Lankan fortress, and brought the whole mountain of Dronagiri from the Himalayas to Lanka overnight to find the remedy(the magical herb - Sanjivani) for the weapon used by Indrajit. Sushena first was hesitant to use the herb on an enemy, which was only common as he was abducted from Lanka and was in a bad mood, but when Rama reminded him of the ancient saying that physicians then used, "A physician has no friends or enemies", Sushena bowed beneath the saying and cured Lakshmana, who, aroused and ready, challenged Indrajit once more.

[edit] Third day

Killing of Indrajit Painting by Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi

When Indrajit came to know that Lakhsmana had survived again, he went to his native deity's secret temple to perform the yagna that would make him invincible. Vibhishana, Indrajit's paternal uncle who left Ravana to join Rama in the name of truth and justice, learned of his nephew Indrajit's routine through his spies and alerted Lord Rama. Lakshmana and Vibhisana took the opportunity to face Indrajit in the "Yagnaagaar", where Indrajit would not touch any weapons. Indrajit fought Lakshmana with the utensils of the yagna and even managed to escape from there.

Lakshamana fights Indrajit

As the Valmiki Ramayana quotes, upon his Yagna being destroyed by the armies of Lakshmana, Indrajit became enraged and stormed out of the Temple Cave. Seeing his uncle Vibhishana (who had abandoned Ravana and joined Rama) at Lakshmana's side multiplied Indrajit's fury manifold. He vowed to kill his uncle Vibhisana along with Lakshmana once and for all, letting loose the Yama-astra which he had been conserving for punishing Vibhishana's perceived treason. At this juncture, Lakshmana protected Vibhsana, countering the Yama-astra owing to an earlier warning by Kubera. Fierce battle ensued, and unable to injure Lakshmana by normal means, Indrajit resorted to the use of the three Supreme Weapons (Brahmastra, Pashupatastra, and Vaishnavastra) on Lakshmana. To Indrajit's great shock and dismay, each of the three weapons refused to even touch Lakshmana, with the Vaishnavastra circumambulating Lakshmana before disappearing. Realization dawned on Indrajit that Lakshmana was no ordinary human as he and his father had perceived. Indrajit vanished briefly from the battlefield, returning to Ravana at the royal palace, and reported the developments, proposing that his father make peace with Rama and protect the demon race from further decimation. Ravana, blinded with pride, was unrelenting and annoyed, and even suggested that Indrajit was a coward having fled the battlefield. This accusation provoked Indrajit who briefly lost his temper, striking fear even at the mighty Ravana's heart before apologising and clarifying to his father that his primary duty as a son was to serve his father's best interests, and that even in the face of death, he'd never abandon Ravana. Preparing to go back on the battle and knowing that he indeed faced death at the hands of a heavenly incarnation, Indrajit bade his last goodbyes to his parents and his wife. He returned to the battlefield and fiercely fought Lakshmana with all his skill at both warfare, and sorcery. Lakshmana was unstoppable, and slew Indrajit by beheading him with the Aindrastra (verses 71 and 72 chapter 90 Yudhkanda Valmiki Ramayana). Upon his death his wife Sulochana became Sati on his funeral pyre.^[2]

The verse invoked by Lakshmana to slay Indrajit is considered by the devout as one of the moola mantras of the Ramayana:
dharmaatmaa satyasandhashcha raamo daasharathiryadi |
pauruShe chaapratidvandvastadenaM jahi raavaNim || 90-6-71
“[O! my dear arrow!] If Rama, the son of Dasaratha, is ever firm on the staying the path of Dharma and Satya, and is second to none in his prowess, go forth and destroy this Indrajit.”

Sister Of Ravana- SURPANAKHA

Shurpanakhi Asks for Rama's Love

Lakshmana cuts Surpanaka's nose

The bottom right corner shows Surpanakha's nose being cut by Lakshmana

Surpanakha (Sanskrit for "sharp, long nails"; Khmer: Surpanakhar; Indonesian: Sarpakenaka; Malay: Surapandaki; Thai: Sammanakha; Tamil: Curppanakai) or Shurpanakha is one of the most important characters in the Ramayana. Indeed, Valmiki comes close to claiming that if there had been no Kaikeyi and no Surpanakha, then there would have been no Ramayana and no war with Ravana. In fact, Surpanakha was the arrow that set in motion the chain of events leading directly to the destruction of Ravana. Soorpanaka, therefore, like Kaikeyi before her, often gets the blame from Hindus as being the evil genius behind, and the sole cause of the Ramayana war.
The youngest child of Rishi Vishrava and his second wife, Kaikesi, Surpanakha was given the name of "Minakshi" (the fish-eyed one) at birth. As beautiful as her mother Kaikesi and her grandmother Thataka had been before her, Surpanakha grew up to marry the Asura Dushtabuddhi. Initially, Surpanakha's husband enjoyed high favor with her brother Ravana, the King of Lanka, and they were privileged members of Ravana's court, but the three fell out eventually due to Dushtabuddhi's scheming for more power. Ravana had Dushtabuddhi killed, an act which earned Ravana his sister's great displeasure.
The widowed Surpanakha spent her time between Lanka and the forests of Southern India, visiting her Asura, forest-dwelling relatives, from time to time. According to the Valmiki Ramayana, during one such visit, she met the exiled Rama, the young Prince of Ayodhya, and was immediately smitten by his youthful good looks. Rama, however, spurned her advances, telling her that he was devoted to his wife, Sita, and that he would never take another wife. Rama then slyly suggested that she approach his younger brother, Lakshmana, with her proposition. Lakshmana reacted in a similar manner, deriding Surpanakha and telling her that she was not what he desired in a wife. Realizing eventually that the brothers were making fun of her, the humiliated and jealous Surpanakha attacked Sita but was thwarted by Lakshmana, who cut off her nose and sent her back to Lanka.
Surpanakha first reacted by going to her brother Khara who sent seven Rakshasa warriors to attack Rama, but were easily dispatched. Khara then attacked with 700,000 soldiers including himself, who were all killed. She then reacted by going straight to Ravana's court and extolling Sita's virtues and beauty, praising Sita as a worthy wife for Ravana, and inciting him to abduct her by force and marry her. Ravana, despite advices to the contrary from his brother, Vibhishana, kidnapped Sita resulting in the Ramayana war.
There are a few versions of the Ramayana that claim that Surpanakha had no real romantic interest in the brothers and that she had orchestrated the war for no reason other than to seek revenge against Ravana for her husband's murder. After many years of scheming for his downfall, she realized that Ravana had more than a match in Rama, the young Prince of Ayodhya. Rama had killed both her grandmother, the ferocious Thataka, and her uncle, Subahu. Her cousins were terrified of the young Prince and Surpanakha decided to pit her brother against Rama, knowing that no one else was powerful enough to slay Ravana. Accordingly, she orchestrated her encounter with Rama, the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana and the resulting war between Ravana and Rama, all with the sole intention of having her brother killed.
Although Surpanakha is not mentioned in the Ramayana again and Valmiki does not comment on her eventual fate, it has been suggested that she continued to live at her brother Vibhishana's court, when he succeeded Ravana as King of Lanka. She, and her half-sister, Kumbini, are supposed to have both perished at sea a few years later.
Valmiki's description of Surpanakha:

• An ugly woman (gora mukhi), pot bellied and cross-eyed.
• Thinning, brown hair.
• A grating voice that is harsh on the ears.
• Oversized breasts—which can be translated to mean a heart full of wickedness.

Kamban's description of Surpanakha:
The Tamil poet, Kamban, however differs in his description of Surpanakha from Valmiki, describing Surpanakha instead as a very beautiful woman with long, beautiful, fish-shaped eyes (validating her given name of "Minakshi" at birth), a slender shape and a bewitching personality. In addition, she possessed magical powers and could assume any shape or form and his version of the Ramayana asserts that she put these powers to good use when she first approached Rama with her marriage proposal. Rama, however, divined the real Surpanakha and decided to play with her for a while before letting her down and declining her proposal. In any case, Surpanakha was at least middle-aged at the time she met the young Rama and would have appeared as "old" and "haggardly" to the prince.

[edit] In Popular Culture

In the movie Raavan the act of cutting Surpanakha's nose off is taken to be the metaphorical equivalent of disgracing her (raping her).