Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 88, Shloka 18
इन्द्रजित्–लक्ष्मण संवादः तथा युद्धप्रवृत्तिः
Indrajit and Lakshmana: War-Boasts, Rebuke, and the Clash
तेनिसृष्टामहावेगाःशराःसर्पविषोपमाः ।।।।सम्प्राप्यलक्ष्मणंपेतुःश्वसन्तइवपन्नगाः ।
tenisṛṣṭā mahā-vegāḥ śarāḥ sarpa-viṣopamāḥ |
samprāpya lakṣmaṇaṁ petuḥ śvasanta iva pannagāḥ ||
Those arrows, released by him—rushing with great force and deadly as serpent-venom—reached Lakṣmaṇa, falling upon him like hissing snakes.
Ravana's son Indrajith, who was endowed with great speed in war, pierced Lakshmana with shafts released at a much higher velocity.
FAQs
The imagery of poison underscores the Ramayana’s ethical warning: violence fueled by malice becomes ‘toxic,’ harming beyond necessity and departing from righteous combat.
Indrajit’s swift arrows reach Lakṣmaṇa and strike him in rapid succession.
Lakṣmaṇa’s steadfast endurance is implied—he remains the target of a fierce assault without moral collapse.