[In this section of the Ramayana, in the Uttara-khanda, we hear how Brahma informed Indra why he was captured by Indrajit, about the creation of the first woman, and what befell her.]
“Thereafter, a fierce battle ensued between the demigods and the Rākṣasas, supported by their allies, the Dānavas. Rāvaṇa’s maternal grandfather, Sumāli, led the Rākṣasa army and soon routed the demigod soldiers. Then, to check the enemy, Savitra, the eighth Vasu, suddenly entered the battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of the Rākṣasas. After destroying Sumāli’s chariot, Savitra picked up the Rākṣasa’s mace and smashed it over his head, striking him down dead.
“Being leaderless, the Rākṣasa soldiers began to flee. Meghanāda then came forward, and the powerful son of Rāvaṇa began to scatter the demigods. Indra, however, admonished the fleeing warriors and sent forth his own son, Jayanta, to fight. An equally matched duel thus began between the two princes. However, when Meghanāda resorted to creating darkness on the battlefield through his mystic potency, Jayanta became ill at ease. In the darkness, the fighting became quite gruesome and confused. Thus, Pulomā, ruler of the Daityas and father of Śacī, the wife of King Indra, came and forcibly grabbed his grandson by the hair. Dragging his grandson away from the battlefield for his own protection, Pulomā dove deep into the sea with Jayanta.
“Seeing that Jayanta was gone, the demigods panicked and left the battlefield. Indra then immediately called for his chariot. Thus, as Indra went out to join the battle, surrounded by other Adityas, a fierce wind began blowing and huge meteors streaked across the sky. Meanwhile, inspired by Indra’s presence, the demigods slaughtered the Rākṣasas so that eventually only one-tenth of their forces remained alive. Kumbhakarṇa was also wounded by the combined attack of the Rudras and other celestials. Thus, Rāvaṇa became highly enraged.
“With his back to the sun, Rāvaṇa began penetrating the ranks of the enemy army and approached the heavenly king, Indra. Then, as the two rulers proceeded to shower their arrows upon each other, darkness set in, leaving only Indra, Rāvaṇa and Meghanāda who were not bewildered. For his part, Rāvaṇa was determined to destroy all the demigods. However, with Indra understanding he could not kill the Rākṣasa King, he thus advised his warriors to capture him instead.
“Rāvaṇa then suddenly rushed at Indra, but the King of heaven drove him back with torrents of weapons. Thus, the fear-stricken Rākṣasas considered themselves to be defeated. Meghanāda, however, was outraged, and thus invisibly entered the demigod army and came before the heavenly King. Sending forth incessant showers of arrows, Meghanāda was able to exhaust Indra, and bound him up by his mystic power acquired as a benediction from Lord Brahmā. “Seeing how Rāvaṇa was being overpowered by the demigods, the invisible Meghanāda announced to his father, ‘You should retreat from the battle, for I have already taken Indra captive. Since victory is yours, there is no need to continue fighting.’
Hearing this, the demigods became disheartened and at once desisted from battle. Rāvaṇa then instructed Meghanāda, ‘Go ahead of me and take Indra to Laṅkā. I will join you there shortly.’
“Thus it came to be that Indra, the King of heaven, was held prisoner by the Rākṣasas within their capital city. Lord Brahmā then took all the demigods with him and went to Laṅkā. While remaining stationed in the sky, the universal Grandsire addressed Rāvaṇa as follows: ‘The prowess and valor exhibited by your son is very wonderful indeed. Because of his dramatic victory over the King of heaven, let Meghanāda from this day onward be known as Indrajit. O King of the Rākṣasas, I request you to release Indra. In exchange, I shall reward your son with an incomparable benediction.’
“Indrajit thus exclaimed, ‘I shall give up Indra for the boon of immortality.’
“Lord Brahmā, however, replied, ‘It is not possible for any of the created beings to have unconditional immortality. Therefore, my dear prince, please ask for something else.’
“Indrajit then said, ‘As an alternative, grant me the following request—At the time of battle, if I offer oblations into the sacrificial fire according to Vedic injunctions, let a huge chariot emerge from the flames. Then, as long as I remain seated upon that chariot, let me be immune to death. Thus, only if I engage in battle without having finished the chanting of mantras and offering of oblations, will I be subject to destruction. Some people seek immortality through the performance of austerities, but I have acquired some simply by exhibiting my prowess.’
“Lord Brahmā granted Indrajit’s request, and in return, Indra was released. After this incident, however, Indra became morose and thoughtful, his bodily luster faded. Lord Brahmā then approached him and asked, ‘What grievous sin did you commit in the past causing you to suffer so now?’
“However, without waiting for Indra to reply, the all-knowing Brahmā narrated the following story: ‘In the beginning of creation there was only one type of human being. Thus, there was no distinction in their bodily features. To create diversity and increase the population, I created the first woman, giving her the name Ahalyā. Hala means, ‘One who does not possess even the slightest ugliness.’
“‘While carefully considering whose partner this girl should be, I kept her in the care of Gautama Ṛṣi for many years. O Indra, during this time you confidently assumed that I would give Ahalyā to you as a consort. However, when Gautama later returned the girl to me, I was very impressed by his self-control. I then agreed that Ahalyā could become his wife.
“‘All the demigods, especially yourself, became very unhappy because of this decision. Thus, finally being overcome by lust and anger, you went to Gautama’s ashram, and when you saw the beautiful Ahalyā, you forcibly raped her. After your departure, Gautama came to know of your sinful act. Thus, in great anger, he cursed you, saying, ‘One day, O lusty King of Heaven, you will be captured by your enemies while engaged in fighting on the battlefield. Furthermore, when this abominable act that you have initiated becomes prevalent in human society, anyone who commits this sin will get only half of the reaction and you will get the other half. Thus, from now on, your position as the King of heaven will never be secure, not only for you, but future Indra’s also.’
“‘After chastising Indra, Gautama cursed his wife for her infidelity, saying, ‘From now on you must remain in this ashram as a stone pillar. Additionally, you will no longer have the distinction of being the only woman. All other women will receive a share of your beauty.
“‘Ahalyā then pleaded, ‘My dear husband, Indra came here disguised as you and then forcibly raped me. Please be merciful unto me, for I am faultless.’
“‘Gautama finally informed his wife, ‘In the future, Lord Viṣṇu will personally take birth within the Ikṣvāku dynasty and He will be known as Rāma. In the course of performing His transcendental pastimes, He will come here in the company of Viśvāmitra. By seeing Lord Rāma and offering Him your hospitality, you will become free from my curse and reinstated as my wife.’
“‘My dear Indra, you should know that all of your present difficulties are due to the curse of Gautama. To counteract the effects of that curse, I suggest that you perform a sacrifice to please Lord Viṣṇu. In this way, you will become purified and thus be able to return to your post in heaven. Now, there is one more thing you may know from me. Your son has been taken away by Pulomā and is being kept deep within the ocean.’ Thereafter, by following Lord Brahma’s
directions, Indra regained his heavenly position, freed from all anxieties.”