"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."