Indrajit's death at Lakshmana's hands

Indrajít’s death at Lakshmaṇ’s hands ends a sequence of attacks in which Indrajít strikes the Vánar host from invisibility and stages the apparent killing of Sítá with a magical effigy. The scene turns from terror and deception to a decisive defeat: Indrajít’s chariot is broken, his charioteer is slain, and Lakshmaṇ kills him. The celestial beings rejoice at his fall.

Position in the Battle

The account places Indrajít’s final appearance after the deaths of Kumbha and Nikumbha and the subsequent battle with Makaráksha. Makaráksha is identified as the son of Khara, whom Ráma had killed in the forest before Sítá’s abduction. The source notes that it abbreviates the earlier deaths and omits the two cantos devoted to Makaráksha, before turning to Indrajít’s renewed attack.

Invisibility and the Effigy

Indrajít first uses his magical art to become invisible, then kills countless Vánars with arrows described as unerring. He withdraws to the city and returns in his chariot carrying a magical effigy of Sítá, shown weeping beside him. Before the enraged Hanúmán and the Vánar host, Indrajít grasps the image by the hair and cuts it down with his scimitar. The victim is an illusion, not Sítá herself; the display makes apparent loss part of Indrajít’s assault.

Defeat and Aftermath

The fighting continues until Indrajít’s chariot is broken to pieces and his charioteer is killed. Indrajít then falls by Lakshmaṇ’s hand. His death brings the episode’s successive reversals into focus: the invisible attacker who had killed countless Vánars and wielded a false image of Sítá is himself overcome. The account closes on the rejoicing of the high-souled saints, heavenly nymphs, and other celestial beings, marking his death as a decisive victory.