Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 86, Shloka 14
इन्द्रजितः कर्माननुष्ठानात् उत्थाय हनूमन्तं प्रति प्रस्थानम् / Indrajit Abandons the Unfinished Rite and Moves Against Hanuman
स्वमनीकंविषण्णंतुश्रुत्वाशत्रुभिरर्दितम् ।उदतिष्ठतदुर्दर्षः स कर्मण्यननुष्ठिते ।।।।
svamanīkaṃ viṣaṇṇaṃ tu śrutvā śatrubhir arditam |
udatiṣṭhata durdarṣaḥ sa karmaṇy ananuṣṭhite ||
Als er hörte, dass seine eigenen Truppen verzagt und von den Feinden bedrängt waren, erhob sich der Schwerbezwingbare, obgleich das von ihm begonnene Ritual noch nicht vollendet war.
Enraged, Indrajith coming out of the darkness of trees ascended the chariot already yoked and fixed firmly.
FAQs
It highlights a tension: abandoning a sacred act midway signals instability of purpose; dharma requires integrity and right intention, not merely ritual power.
Indrajit hears his forces suffering and interrupts his ongoing rite to return to the battlefield.
Not a virtue but a revealing trait—strategic urgency mixed with reliance on incomplete ritual means, showing inner conflict and compromised righteousness.