On prince Aksha having been slain by Hanumān, the magnanimous monarch of the Rākshasas, wrought up by wrath, repressing his feelings, ordered Indrajit resembling a celestial, (to take the field against the foe.) “Thou art the foremost of those bearing arms; and thou hast afflicted even the gods and Asuras (in battle); thy deeds have been witnessed by the celestials with Indra; and thou hast procured a weapon* even from the Great-father. And coping (in conflict) with thy might of arms, all the celestials with the Maruts, headed by the lord of celestials himself, could not stay in the field. And there is none in these three worlds (save thyself), who doth not come under the influence of fatigue in battle. And thou art preserved by the prowess of thy arms, and protected also by thy ascetic merit; and being skilled in the knowledge of season and place, thou, methinks, art the foremost of them all in intelligence. And there is no deed which thou canst not perform in the field; and there is nothing in counsel capable of being arrived at by arguing on the lines prescribed by the scriptures, which thou art not equal to; and there is none in all the three worlds who doth not know thy strength and prowess in arms. And thy ascetic energy is like unto mine, as well as thy prowess and might in arms in battle. And having thee in the conflict, my mind assured (of victory), doth not experience sorrow. Slain have been all the servants, as also Jamvumāli, and those five generals, the heroic sons of my councilors, and the swelling forces including steeds, elephants and cars. And low lieth Mahodara, and prince Aksha hath also been slain. O destroyer of foes, my mind did not feel the same confidence in them that I do in thee.* And seeing this mighty host slain, as well as the prowess and energy of the monkey, and the taking into consideration thine own strength, do thou put forth thy energy according to thy strength, And on nearing the scene (of conflict), do thou, O foremost of those bearing arms, seeing thine own strength and that of the foe, so exert thyself that the latter, (now) resting quietly in consequence of having created a carnage (on the hostile hosts), may wax enfeebled.+ O hero, army can serve no purpose here; for hosts fly (before) Hanumān or are reduced to nothing. Neither can it avail to use arms of terrific power and resembling the thunderbolt. Nothing can resist the rush of the Wind-god’s offspring; and this one like unto fire is incapable of being slain with weapons. Revolving well (in thy mind what I have remarked), do thou in order to the attainment of success, with an intent mind remember the divine virtue of this bow, and repairing (to battle) strive to vanquish the foe, baffling his attacks.++ O foremost of intelligent ones, (that I send thee to battle) is certainly not proper; yet this course of action is endorsed by Kshatriyas and those following the morality of kings. O subduer of enemies, one should be versed in various branches of learning as well as be masterful in war.§ He that craves victory in fight, should be acquainted with various branches of knowledge.||
* viz. the Brahma weapon. —T.
* According to another reading, the meaning would be: — “O best of warriors, do thou, considering thy own strength and that of the enemy, so exert thyself that he may no longer inflict terrible losses on our army.” (Tirtha). —T.
+ Another meaning is: Looking on thyself, and (not on my forces), as constituting my main stay, put forth thy prowess. —T.
++ One should know in what branches of knowledge one’s enemy is proficient, and, understanding this, one should strive for victory. —T.
§ According to a different reading, the meaning would be, “Thou art competent to fight agreeably to the rules.”—T.
||The Sloka is very difficult and incapable of interpretation withoet at places meanings being read into it. —T.
Hearing the words of his father, (Indrajit) gifted with celestial prowess, determined to fight, instantly circumambulated him. Excited with a desire for fight and worked up with energy, Indrajit, eulogized by the friendly Rākshasas, set out for battle. And that highly effulgent and graceful son of the lord of the Rākshasas, having expansive eyes resembling lotus-petals, — issued out like unto the rising of the ocean during a parva.* Thereupon Indrajit of unbearable prowess, equal to the lord of the celestials, ascended a car drawn by four horses, having sharpened teeth and resembling Garuda in velocity. And that master of a car and foremost of bowmen, conversant with the use of all weapons —the best of those using swords—proceeded soon in his car where Hanumān was. And hearing the sound of his car and the twang of his bow, that heroic monkey attained an excess of delight. And taking up a bow and sharpened darts, Indrajit, versed in the rules of war, proceeded towards Hanumān. And as he issued out for battle, greatly delighted, with arrows in his hands, all the quarters became dark, and jackals began to set up terrible cries. And there arrived the Nāgas, the Yakshas, the Maharshis, the planets, and the Siddhas, and the birds, covering the welkin, and, greatly delighted, began to make a noise. And beholding that car having a flag like that of Indra, approach very quickly, the monkey began to emit terrible roars and increase himself. And Indrajit too, seated on the celestial car and having a painted bow, began to stretch it, emitting a sound resembling that of thunder. Thereupon closed in conflict those two greatly powerful (heroes)—gifted with swift movements and fearless in battle—the monkey, and the son of the lord of Rākshasas, like unto the lords of celestials and Asuras. And baffling the shafts of that hero of a mighty car, an accomplished bowman and a finished warrior, the immeasurably powerful monkey increasing himself began to range in the welkin.* Thereupon the heroic (Indrajit)—slayer of foes—began to discharge incessantly shafts, large, sharp, well-feathered, painted in gold and swift-coursing like unto thunder. And hearing again the noise of his car, the sounds of drums, bugles, and war-drums, and the twangs of the bow, he again leaped up (in the sky). And baffling the aim of (Indrajit), who had always an eye on it, that great monkey ranged at a distance from those shafts. And again facing the arrows and stretching his hands, the Wind-god’s son again leaped up. And those two heroes, gifted with swift movements and versed in the art of war, engaged in a combat, admired of all beings. And Hanumān could not find out the short-comings of the Rākshasa, nor could that high-souled one detect the weak points of the son of the Wind-god. And these two gifted with celestial prowess, engaged in conflict, became unbearable unto each other. And seeing him unhurt though aimed at with infallible arrows, the high-souled (Indrajit), controlling his senses, engaged in deep and devout meditation+ (to realize the true identity of Hanumān). Thereupon, that son of the lord of Rākshasas pinned his thoughts upon that foremost of monkeys, and, finding him incapable of being slain, he began to devise plans how he could be bound. And that hero, foremost of those versed in the use of weapons, discharged at that best of monkeys the highly powerful weapon conferred on him by Brahmā, the Great-father of the celestials. And knowing him incapable of being slain, Indrajit conversant with the use of weapons, bound that large-armed son of the Wind-god with that weapon. And being bound up by that Rākshasa with the weapon, the monkey became motionless and fell down on the earth. And thinking that he was bound up with a Brahmā weapon, he did not feel the least pain in consequence of Brahmā’s blessing. And that heroic monkey began to think of the boons conferred on him by the Great-father of the celestials. And thinking that the weapon was conferred by the Self-create and consecrated by sacred Mantras, Hanumān began to think of boons conferred by the Great-father. “In consequence of the power of the Lord of creation I am incapable of extricating myself from these bonds.” (Knowing this by means of devout meditation, he reflected again,)— “This has been ordained by Him, and I must put up with this pain for sometime.” Revolving well the power of the weapon, the boon of the Great-father, and his own prowess to extricate himself from the bonds, the monkey followed the Great-father’s behest, — “I do not fear though bound by this weapon, since I am being protected by Brahmā, Indra and the Wind-god. It will be better if I am carried off by the Rākshasas, for I shall reap very great benefit by my conversation with the lord of Rākshasas. Therefore, let the enemies carry me.” Having resolved this, the considerate (monkey)—slayer of foes—remained motionless. And being ruthlessly bound by the foes and remonstrated with by them, he began to moan piteously. And beholding that slayer of foes motionless, the Rākshasas bound him up with cotton and bark. And he gladly allowed himself to be tied up and rebuked by his enemies, thinking that he might converse with the lord of the Rākshasas, if he, out of curiosity, should like to see him. Being bound with bark, that powerful (monkey) got himself freed from the binding of the weapon, for the binding force of a Brahmā weapon becomes null when there is any other binding. And beholding that best of monkeys tied up with bark and liberated from the binding of the weapon, Indrajit reflected that the binding force of the Brahmā weapon became powerless when there was any other binding. “Alas, (those Rakshas) have rendered my mighty deed fruitless. They know not the action of Mantras.* And on the Brahma weapon being baffled, any other weapon cannot effect anything; and thus we have all been placed in a critical predicament.” On being released from the weapon, Hanumān did not betray any signs of his liberation, albeit he was pulled by the Rākshasas and pained by the bonds they had bound him with. And the monkey, Hanumān, was pulled by those cruel Rākshasas having fatal boxes, in the direction of the lord of Rākshasas. And seeing (Hanumān) freed from the (Brahmā) weapon yet bound by the bark of trees, he (Indrajit) showed the exceedingly powerful and highly heroic monkey unto the king along with his adherents. And the Rākshasas related unto the ruler of Rakshas everything touching that foremost of choice monkeys, resembling a mad elephant who was in bonds. “Who is he? And whose son? And wherefrom? And what’s his errand? And by whom is he backed?”—thus did the heroic Rākshasas converse on beholding Hanumān. And others said, — “Kill him,” “Burn him”— “Eat him up.” The Rākshasas, growing enraged, thus said unto each other. — Having passed some way, that magnanimous one saw there old servants sitting at the feet of the lord of Rākshasas, — as well as a mansion embellished with countless jewels. And the exceedingly energetic Rāvana saw that foremost of monkeys dragged hither and thither by Rākshasas of frightful forms. And that best of monkeys too saw that lord of Rākshasas, endowed with strength and energy and resembling the resplendent son. And with his reddened eyes rolling, the ten-necked gazing at that monkey, ordered his principal counsellors, boasting of high pedigree and noble character, (to interrogate the incomer). And by turns questioned by them as to his mission and purpose, as well as the fundamental occasion (of his inroad), that foremost of monkeys replied, — “A messenger, I come (from Sugriva.)”
* A name given to certain days in the lunar month at the full and change of the moon, and the th and th of each half month. —T.
* Literally it means the passage of his father. Hanumān’s father being the Wind, it means the sky. —T.
+ According to Hindu philosophy, one by virtue of yoga and self-control can realize many great things which are beyond ordinary human conception. Beholding Hanumān unhurt though assailed incessantly with terrible shafts, Indrajit at once jumped at the conclusion that he must be a great spirit in a monkey-form. To realize who he in reality was, he engaged in yoga or devout meditation. —T.
* That the action of a Brahmā mantra upon one is nullified if one is bound physically. —T.