Meghnaad is a Raamaayan character. We first meet him in Sundar Kaand when Raavan sends him to bring the monkey who had spoiled his Ashok Vaatikaa and killed many mighty Raakshas and his youngest son Akshaya Kumaar. Meghnaad was the son of Raavan and Mandodaree. When he was born, he made a great sound like the sound of clouds, that was why he was named - Megh means clouds), and Naad means sound. He was very brave, courageous, ambitious and more powerful than his father. His wife's name was Sulochanaa, the daughter of Shesh Naag. She was also a Satee woman like her mother-in-law.

Meghnaad did several Yagya under the guidance of Daitya Guru Shukraachaarya Jee. He did seven Yagya - Agnihom, Ashwamedh, Bahu Swaren, Raajsooya, Gomedh, Vaishnav and Maheshwar Yagya. Shiv Jee got pleased with him through these Yagya and bestowed him with a chariot which could go anywhere, a Taamasee Maayaa which spread darkness all around through which nobody could see him, two quivers which would never be out of arrows, an infallible bow and other weapons. He had got some other Divine weapons too - Pashupataastra, Brahmaastra, Vaishnaaastra. When Shukraachaarya Jee told this to Raavan, he said - "Hey Guru, Meghnaad has not done good to worship our enemy Devtaa." and he came back from there.

Meghnaad Arrested Indra and Became Indrajeet and Immortal
When Raavan went to fight with Devtaa with the desire of winning Tri-Lok, Meghnaad went along with him to help them, he won Indra, caught him and brought him to Lankaa. Brahmaa Jee had to come to get him freed. Meghnaad freed him in exchange of a Var. Meghnaad asked - "When I offer an Aahuti in Agni in wartime for my goddess Nikumbhalaa, a Divine Rath (chariot) should appear with horses, and till I am on that Rath I should not be killed; but if I start fighting before completing the Yagya and Jap, then only I should be destroyed." Brahmaa Jee said - "So be it" and Meghnaad freed Indra. Since then he was called "Indrajeet".

His Wife Sulochanaa
His wife's name was Sulochanaa. She was a Satee Stree (woman). She is counted among the five Satee Stree in Hindu religious literature - Draupadee, Sulochanaa, Mandodaree, Saavitree, Anusooyaa. It is said that when Meghnaad was killed by Lakshman, his one arm flew to Meghnaad's palace and fell in its courtyard. When Sulochanaa saw that arm, she made it write the name of the killer of Meghnaad. The arm wrote "Lakshman".

Meghnaad Arrests Hanumaan
When Hanumaan went to Lankaa in search of Seetaa Jee, after meeting Her he wanted to show his presence there, so he destroyed Ashok Vaatikaa where Seetaa was staying. Since Ashok Vaatikaa was the most beautiful garden in Raavan's palace, its caretakers reported the incident immediately. He sent several people, including Akshaya Kumaar (Raavan's youngest son) but either they were killed or pushed back. Then Meghnaad went and he used "Brahm Astra" and Naag Paash to tie Hanumaan and brought him to the royal court.

Meghnaad in Battlefield
Meghnaad fought very bravely in Raam-Raavan war. he first day of his battle, he even put Raam and Lakshman's lives in danger by using "Naag Paash". Hanumaan had to go to Garud Jee to help free them. Garud Jee came and all Naag ran away seeing him, thus Hanumaan and Garud Jee saved their lives.

Second day, when he heard that Raam and Lakshman were still alive, he filled with rage and came in the battlefield with a new vigor to kill them. When he found that it was not possible to win Lakshman with normal fight, he started using his magical powers. He combined his skills of sorcery and deceptive warfare, repeatedly vanishing and reappearing behind Lakshman's back to catch him off-guard, when used his fiercest and deadliest weapon, Shakti. On being impaled in the back by the weapon, Lakshman fell unconscious, poised to die precisely at the following sunrise.

When Lakshman was lying unconscious in the battlefield, Meghnaad thought that it was a good opportunity to take him to Lankaa to arrest him and to show him to his father. So he proceeded to lift him, but as hard he tried, he could not even move his body. He was very surprised to see this. In the meantime Hanumaan came that side looking for Lakshman and when he saw him lying on the ground and Maghnaad unable to even move him, he said to Meghnaad - "Don't even try to touch him." Meghnaad was amazed to see that Hanumaan lifted him like a flower and took him away to the camp. He kept thinking what was in Hanumaan so that he could lift Lakshman like a flower and he, who ws so much mighty, could not even move him. Here Tulasee comments beautifully in his Maanas - "How could they lift him who himself had lifted the whole universe?

Hanumaan saved His life by kidnapping the Raaj Vaidya (royal physician) Sushen from the Lankaa fortress, and brought the whole mountain of Drone Giri from the Himaalaya to Lankaa overnight to find the remedy (the magical herb of Sanjeevanee Bootee - herb) for the weapon used by Indrajeet. Sushen first was hesitant to use the herb on an enemy, which was only common as he was abducted from Lankaa and was in a bad mood, but when Raam reminded him of the ancient saying that "A physician has no friends or enemies", Sushen bowed to Shree Raam and cured Lakshman, who, aroused and ready, challenged Indrajeet once more.

When he got tired of fighting with Raam's army, the third day, he decided to do that Yagya by which he was to get that Rath by sitting on which he would not be killed by anybody. Its only Vibheeshan who opened this secret to Raam and asked Him to send Lakshman along with other warriors to kill Meghnaad before he finished his Yagya. Because if he finished his Yagya he would be immortal and he would not be killed by anybody. Besides he could not touch any weapons also in that area.

Raam did so and He sent Lakshman and Hanumaan along with Vibheshan to the place where he was doing that Yagya. There they disturbed his Yagya and did not allow him to complete the Yagya. So he had to get up in the middle of the Yagya and fought with Lakshman and Hanumaan only with Yagya utensils. He was very angry with Vibheeshan, his uncle. He had saved a Divine Astra, Yam Astra, to kill him, so he used it to kill him, but Kuber had already warned Lakshman about it, so Lakshman countered it and saved himself. Meghnaad used his three most fierce Astra (Brahmaastra, Pashupataastra and Vaishnavaastra) at Lakshman but to his surprise none of them even touched him; rather Vaishnavaastra circumambulated Lakshman before disappearing.

This made Meghnaad realize that Lashman was no ordinary man, so he briefly disappeared from the battle ground and came to his father, told him everything and insisted to make peace with Raam. But Raavan accused him for being coward, so he again came to the battle after bidding good bye to his parents and wife. He fought with Lakshman fiercely and then was killed by Aindraastra used by Lakshman. (V-Raamaayan, 6/36). It is said that Lakshman coluld kill him after the fight of 3 days and 3 nights.

His SWife Sulochanaa Became Satee With Him.

Note
In Maanas, Meghnaad used his Veerghaatinee Power on Lakshman and made Him unconscious. Meghnaad got very happy to see this. He wanted to take Him to Lankaa to show his father that he had killed Lakshman, but when he tried to lift him up, he could not even move him. In the meantime Hanumaan came and lifted him like a flower and took Him to Raam. Then Hanumaan brought Sushen Vaidya (traditional doctor) from Lankaa along with his house while he was sleeping. Sushen asked for some herbs (Sanjeevanee Bootee) to treat Lakshman. Hanumaan brought it and Sushen treated him. Hanumaan left Sushen in Lankaa as he brought him from there.

Later Raavan also makes Lakshman unconscious. He also wants to lift him, but he also could not move him. Seeing this he got very surprised and embarrassed.

In Raamaayan, Vibheeshan stresses Raam to send only Lakshman and Hanumaan to destroy Meghnaad's Yagya and to kill him. Why doesn't he say "Raam"? Is it because Raam could not enter Lankaa? But then how was he sure that Meghnaad was to be killed by Lakshman only? Any ideas?

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