The highly powerful Mahendra being thus defeated by Rāvana’s son, all the celestials, taking the patriarch Brahmā before them, went to Lankā. Having obtained Rāvana encircled by his sons and brothers the Patriarch, stationed in the welkin, calmly said— ‘My son, Rāvana, I have been pleased with thy son in the conflict. Oh! what wonderful prowess, what strength—equal or greater than thine. Thou hast, by thy own prowess, conquered the three worlds—thy promise hath borne fruits—I have been pleased with you—both the father and son. O Rāvana, this thy son is highly powerful and gifted with great strength and he shall be celebrated in the world under the appellation of ‘Indrajit’ or the conqueror of Indra. And that Rākshasa shall be powerful and irrepressible, by whose help, O king, the celestials have been brought under thy subjection. Do thou therefore, O thou having long arms, release Mahendra, the chastiser of Paka and for setting him free what do thou want from the celestials?’ Thereupon the highly powerful Indrajit—the subduer of enemies, said: — ‘If dost thou say so, O god, I pray for immortality.’ Thereat the highly powerful patriarch said to Meghanada— ‘There is none perfectly immortal on earth amongst created beings—birds, quadrupeds and other highly powerful beings.’ Hearing the words uttered by the grand-father—the highly powerful Meghanāda said to the eternal lord— ‘Hear, then, what I want in exchange for releasing Sakra. May a chariot with horses rise up from fire when I shall offer sacrifices unto it, being desirous of vanquishing my enemies in the conflict. And may I be immortal as long as I shall remain on that car. This is the boon I have resolved upon praying for. May I meet with destruction, O deity, whenever I shall engage in fight without finishing my offerings unto fire. All others, O god, attain to immortality by virtue of devout penances but I shall acquire that by dint of my own prowess.’ Whereto the grand-father replied saying ‘So be it.’ Thereupon Meghanāda released Indra and the celestials returned to their own abode. In the interval, O Rāma, Indra became poorly, divested of his immortal brilliance, stricken with anxiety and pensive. Beholding him in that plight the grand-father of the deities said: — ‘O performer of hundred sacrifices, why didst thou formerly perpetrate that mighty iniquity? O Chief of the immortals! O lord! Some creatures were created by me by dint of my understanding—they were all of the same colour, same speech, and same appearance. There was no difference visible in their appearance or marks. Thereupon, with whole-minded-ness, I began to think of these created beings. And I created a female distinct from them. Collecting all those limbs that were most excellent amongst the created, I made a female under the name of Ahalyā. Hal means ugliness—one born from Hal is called Halya. That female was known as Ahalyā because she had nothing blameable in her. I gave her that name. Having created that female I was thinking, O king of the celestials! O foremost of the deities! On whom I should confer her. Being proud of dignity, O Sakra, O lord, O Purandara thou didst regard her in thy mind as thy spouse. I placed her under the care of the high-souled Gautama and he rendered her back after many long years. Thereupon considering the patience and accomplished asceticism of Gautama I married her with him. And that virtuous-souled, great ascetic enjoyed her company; and for my thus conferring her upon Gautama all the celestials were disappointed. But being enraged and possessed by lust thou didst repair to the hermitage of the ascetic and see her resplendant like the flaming fire. Maddened with lust and ire thou didst ravish her and thou wast seen in that hermitage by the great ascetic. Thou wast then imprecated by him, enraged and gifted with great effulgence saying, “O lord of the celestials, thou hast attained to a change of circumstances—for which, O Vasava, thou hast fearlessly ravished my spouse. Thou shalt, therefore, O Sakra, go under the arms of the enemies, in conflict. And this vile desire, O thou having a vicious intellect, which thou hast first created, shall undoubtedly spread in the world of mortals. Whoever shall commit this crime, shall be half responsible for it and the other half shall descend upon thee; and forsooth thy position shall not be permanent. And whoever shall be the lord of the celestials, shall not have his position secure. This is the curse I give, which I have communicated to thee.” And having remonstrated with his wife that one of devout penances said to her— “O vicious one, let thy beauty be spoiled in the vicinity of the hermitage. Thou art gifted with beauty and youth but thy mind is fickle; so thou shalt not continue as the single beautiful damsel in the world. All created beings shall participate thy beauty; thy matchless beauty has brought about this mischief.” Thenceforward all created beings were gifted with beauty. Thereupon she propitiated the ascetic Gautama saying, “O twice-born one, I was unwittingly ravished by Indra, assuming thy form. I have not committed this willingly, O ascetic—so do thou be propitiated with me.” Ahalyā having said this, Gautama replied: — “In the race of Ikshwākus, there shall be born a highly effulgent and mighty car-warrior, known in the world as Rāma; for performing the rites of a Brahman, the mighty-armed Vishnu, assuming a human form, shall repair to the forest. Thou shalt be purified when thou shalt behold him, O fair damsel. He shall be able to purify thee from the iniquity perpetrated. Having treated him as a guest when thou shalt come to me again, thou shalt live with me, O thou having a fair countenance.” Having said this that ascetic returned to his hermitage. And thenceforward the wife, of that ascetic chanting the themes of Brahman, engaged in austere penances. Thou hast met with all this in consequence of the imprecation of that ascetic. Therefore, O thou having long arms, do thou think of thy past iniquity. For that curse and nothing else, O Vasava, thou hast been brought under the grasp of enemies. Having controlled thy senses, do thou soon undertake a sacrifice in honor of Vishnu. Thou shalt be purified by that sacrifice and go to heaven; and thy son, O lord of celestials, hath not been destroyed in the conflict. He hath been taken into the ocean by his grand father.’ Hearing this and having celebrated the sacrifice in honor of Vishnu he again went to the region of celestials and reigned there as their king. I have thus described to thee the strength of Indrajit—what to speak of others he vanquished even Indra—the king of the celestials.” Hearing the words of Agastya, Rāma, Lakshmana, Vānaras and Rākshasas all said “Wonderful it is,” and Bibhishana, who was by the side of Rāma, said: — “After a long time, the old recollections have come to my mind.” Thereupon Rāma said to Agastya— “All, thou hast said, is true.” And Agastya said “Rāma, Rāvana, the thorn of people, then grew in power, by whom, in the company of his son, Indra, the lord of the celestials, was defeated.