Indrajit (Meghanāda)

Born to the rakshasa king Rāvaṇa as his eldest son and crown prince of Laṅkā, he receives the name Meghanāda (literally 'roar of the clouds') because his birth cry was said to sound like thunder. For the feat of subduing and imprisoning Indra, king of the devas, he acquired the epithet Indrajit, 'conqueror of Indra'. His prowess is presented as the product of ascetic training, boons, and mastery of celestial weapons and sorcery within the epic cosmology.

Sources give limited direct physical description; he is portrayed as a princely warrior associated with royal martial accoutrements such as a celestial chariot (granted as a boon) and battlefield regalia. Narrative episodes emphasize his aerial presence—fighting from clouds, becoming invisible, and mounting celestial chariots—rather than detailed bodily description. His birth omen (a thunderlike cry) is a named feature of his origin.

Indrajit's powers in the sources derive from boons, ascetic practice, and expertise in astras and tantra. He repeatedly employs illusion and invisibility, fights from the sky and clouds, and uses named divine weapons (notably Nagapāśa, a trap of serpents, and the Brahmāstra). He captured Indra and held him prisoner for years. Narratives attribute to him mass-casualty uses of weapons (some accounts report very large numbers of vanaras killed by the Brahmāstra) and tactical retreats when battle conditions turn against him. He is also described as capable of rendering opponents unconscious by sorcery.