| Meghanada | |
|---|---|
 A painting of Meghanada after his victory over Indra by Raja Ravi Varma | |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Ravani Shakrajita Varidanada Ghananada Vasavajita |
| Title | Indrajita "The Conqueror of Indra" |
| Family | Ravana (father) Mandodari (mother) Atikaya Akshaya Kumara Narantaka Devantaka Trishira (brothers) |
| Spouse | Sulochana |
| Home | Lanka |
Meghanada (Sanskrit: मेघनाद, lit. 'roar of the clouds', IAST: Meghanāda), also referred to by his epithet Indrajita (lit. 'conqueror of Indra')[1], according to Hindu texts, was the eldest son of Ravana and the crown prince of Lanka, who conquered Indraloka (Heaven). He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors in Hindu texts. He is a major character mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana. Meghanada is the central character in Bengali ballad Meghnad Badh Kavya. He played an active role in the great war between Rama and Ravana. He acquired many kinds of celestial weapons from his Guru Shukra. His most prominent feat is having defeated the devas in heaven.[2] Using the Brahmastra, Indrajita killed 670 million vanaras[3] in a single day; nearly exterminating the entirety of the vanara race. No warrior had ever achieved this statistical feat before in the Ramayana.[2][3][4] He is the only warrior in the entire Ramayana to defeat both Rama and Lakshmana twice while they were both armed by making them unconscious in a battle with the help of astras and sorcery (once by using "Nagapashastra" and another time by using Brahmastra) and finally got killed by Lakshmana.[5] He was said to be more powerful and superior warrior than his father Ravana by Brahma and Agastya.[5]
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Indrajit". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ a b C. G. Uragoda (2000). Traditions of Sri Lanka: A Selection with a Scientific Background. Vishva Lekha Publishers. ISBN 978-955-96843-0-5.
- ^ a b George M. Eberhart (1 January 2002). Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. ABC-CLIO. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-57607-283-7.
- ^ 9
- ^ a b DUTT, MANMATHA NATH (1894). The Ramayana. CALCUTTA: Elysium Press.