Indrajit was the eldest son of Ravana and his wife Mandodari. When Indrajit was going to be born, Ravana wished his son to be supreme so that no one in the world could defeat him. Ravana wanted his son to be the ultimate warrior and extremely knowledgeable.
Ravana hence commanded all the planets and constellations in such a position that would allow his son to be born the way he wanted. Ravana at that time had conquered everything there was to conquer. The planets, fearing Ravana’s wrath obliged and aligned in such a way that they come in the 11th house of his Indrajit’s horoscope and an ultimate warrior was born.
Indrajit was named ‘Meghanad’
When Indrajit was born, his birth cry sounded like thunder, and hence was named Meghanad (meaning thunderous in Sanskrit).
Meghanad was trained to become the most powerful warrior
Meghanad was taught by Shukracharya, the guru of the daitya (demons). Shukracharya had many famous disciples. Some of his famous students you may know are Prahlada, Bali (Grandson of Prahlada). In the time of the Mahabharata, Shukracharya is mentioned as one of the mentors of Bhishma, having taught him political science in his youth.
Shukra taught Meghanand all the secrets of warfare, and Meghanad learned and mastered all the weapons and strategies. In addition to conventional warfare, Meghanad also mastered the art of sorcery and magic, which very few are able to master, even at that time.
At a very young age, Meghanada became the possessor of several supreme celestial weapons, under the guidance of Shukra. He is considered as the most powerful and the only warrior ever had the three ultimate weapons of Trimurti i.e. Brahmanda Astra, Vaishnava astra and Pashupatastra.
Meghanand conquered the heavens defeating Indra
During the Devasura Sangram(the battle between the devas and the asuras), Indra and Ravana got into a vicious duel in which Ravana is defeated and faints. Meghanad, enraged, engaged in a duel with Indra. He defeated Indra, tying him up and mounting him onto his celestial chariot. At this juncture, Brahma intervened and asked him to free Indra, who is the king of the devas. Meghanada obliged and was granted a chance to ask for a boon from Brahma.
It was here that Brahma named him Indrajit (the conqueror of Indra).
Brahma’s Boon to Indrajit
Indrajeet asked for immortality, but Brahma remarked that absolute immortality is against the law of nature. Brahma however, granted him another boon – invincibility in battle, but with one condition.
No one would be able to defeat him ever, until his Yagna (fire-worship) of his native goddess Prathyangira was disturbed and destroyed. 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.
Battle Against Rama & Lakshmana
Indrajit played an active role in the Great War between Rama and Ravana. Indrajit joined the battle when all his brothers had been killed by Rama and his army. His father, Ravana, had been humiliated and his paternal uncle Kumbhakarna had been killed in the battle by Rama. Indrajit fought with Rama’s army for three days. He was invincible in battle because of a Yajna he used to perform before every battle.
On the first day, 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 Garuda on behest of Hanuman. On the second day, When Indrajit learned that both the Brothers Rama and Lakshmana were still alive and were rescued by Garuda; he was fiery and vowed to kill at least one of the brothers that day.
Indrajit used Brahmastra against Rama
Indrajit used his supreme magical powers, darting across the clouds and skies like a bolt of lightning. He combined his skills of sorcery and warfare, repeatedly vanishing and reappearing behind Rama’s and Lakshmana’s back. Indrajit used Brahmastra against Rama, Lakshmana and the army of Sugriva. On being impaled by the Brahmastra weapon Rama, Lakshmana and the entire army fell unconscious, poised to die precisely at the following sunrise. Their life was saved by Lord Hanuman, who brought Sanjivani – the magical herb from the Himalayas to Lanka overnight to cure them.
Indrajeet unleashes the most terrible weapons on Laxmana
When Indrajit came to know that Lakshmana 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.
Enraged that Laxmana insulted his favorite deity and used treachery to interrupt his yagna, he vowed to kill Vibhishana. But Laxmana saved him. A fierce battle ensued, and unable to injure Lakshmana by normal means, Indrajit resorted to the use of the three Supreme Weapons (Brahmanda Astra, Pashupatastra, and Vaishnavastra) on Lakshmana.
Indrajit pleads his father Ravana to make peace with Rama and give Sita back
To Indrajit’s great shock and dismay, each of the three weapons refused to even touch Lakshmana, with the Vaishnavastra circumambulating Lakshmana before disappearing. Indrajit realized that Laxmana and Rama are no human beings and vanished briefly from the battlefield, returning to Ravana at the royal palace using his magical powers. He pleaded to his father to give Sita back or face sure defeat.
Ravan humiliates Indrajit
Ravana, blinded with pride, was unrelenting and annoyed, and even suggested that Indrajit was a coward having fled the battlefield. Indrajit is ashamed and with anger, he tells his father that it was because of his duty as a son he was still fighting. However, he assured his father that even in the face of death, he’d never abandon Ravana.
Death of Indrajeet
Preparing to go back on the battle and knowing that he indeed faces death at the hands of a heavenly incarnation, Indrajit made 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 he slew Indrajit by beheading him with the Indrastra.
Indrajit – The Mightiest Warrior
During the time he was on the battlefield, he completely obliterated his enemies and there was no stopping him. Indrajit killed 670 million Vanara’s in a single day, nearly exterminated the entire half man-half monkey race. He even twice defeated Rama and Lakshmana.
Indrajeet was a mighty Atimaharathi. Arjuna, Karna, Bali, Ravana, Laxman fall into that league. Above Atimaharathi was Mahamaharathis. Rama, Lakshimana, Krishna, Balram and Hanuman were Mahamaharathis.
Hence, it only proves that however strong you may be, you will be defeated if you are with ‘Adharma’.