Shloka 17
इन्द्रजित्–लक्ष्मण संवादः तथा युद्धप्रवृत्तिः
Indrajit and Lakshmana: War-Boasts, Rebuke, and the Clash
एवमुक्तोधनुर्भीमंपरामृश्यमहाबलः ।।।।ससर्जनिशितान्बाणानिंद्रजित्समितिञ्जयः ।
evam ukto dhanur bhīmaṁ parāmṛśya mahābalaḥ |
sasarja niśitān bāṇān indrajit samitiñjayaḥ ||
Als Lakṣmaṇa so gesprochen hatte, ergriff Indrajit, von großer Kraft und siegreich im Kampf, seinen furchtbaren Bogen und entsandte scharfe Pfeile.
The shafts like deadly poisonous serpents reached Lakshmana at great speed hissing and fell on Lakshmana.
FAQs
The verse highlights a dharmic tension in warfare: words are answered with weapons. The Ramayana repeatedly asks that force be governed by righteousness rather than anger or pride.
Immediately after Lakṣmaṇa’s statement, Indrajit responds by launching an arrow-attack.
Indrajit’s martial efficiency and readiness—qualities that become ethically ambiguous when used for an unrighteous cause.