Chapter 276

“Markandeya said, ‘Beholding Ravana come, Maricha received him with arespectful welcome, and offered him fruits and roots. And after Ravanahad taken his seat, and rested himself a while, Maricha skilled inspeech, sat beside Ravana and addressed him who was himself as eloquentin speech, saying, ‘Thy complexion hath assumed an unnatural hue; is itall right with thy kingdom, O king of the Rakshasas? What hath broughtthee here? Do thy subjects continue to pay thee the same allegiance thatthey used to pay thee before? What business hath brought thee here? Knowthat it is already fulfilled, even if it be very difficult of fulfilment!Ravana, whose heart was agitated with wrath and humiliation informed himbriefly of the acts of Rama and the measures that were to be taken.’ Andon hearing his story, Maricha briefly replied to him, saying, ‘Thou mustnot provoke Rama, for I know his strength! Is there a person who iscapable of withstanding the impetus of his arrows? That great man hathbeen the cause of my assuming my present ascetic life. What evil-mindedcreature hath put thee up to this course calculated to bring ruin anddestruction on thee?’ To this Ravana indignantly replied, reproaching himthus, ‘If thou dost not obey my orders, thou shall surely die at myhands.’ Maricha then thought within himself, ‘When death is inevitable, Ishall do his biddings; for it is better to die at the hands of one thatis superior.’ Then he replied to the lord of the Rakshasas saying, ‘Ishall surely render thee whatever help I can!’ Then the Ten-headed Ravanasaid unto him, ‘Go and tempt Sita, assuming the shape of a deer withgolden horns and a golden skin! When Sita will observe thee thus, shewill surely send away Rama to hunt thee. And then Sita will surely comewithin my power, and I shall forcibly carry her away. And then thatwicked Rama will surely die of grief at the loss of his wife. Do thouhelp me in this way!’

“Thus addressed, Maricha performed his obsequies (in anticipation) andwith a sorrowful heart, followed Ravana who was in advance of him. Andhaving reached the hermitage of Rama of difficult achievements, they bothdid as arranged beforehand. And Ravana appeared in the guise of anascetic with head shaven, and adorned with a Kamandala, and a treblestaff. And Maricha appeared in the shape of a deer. And Maricha appearedbefore the princess of Videha in that guise. And impelled by Fate, shesent away Rama after that deer. And Rama, with the object of pleasingher, quickly took up his bow, and leaving Lakshmana behind to protecther, went in pursuit of that deer. And armed with his bow and quiver andscimitar, and his fingers encased in gloves of Guana skin, Rama went inpursuit of that deer, after the manner of Rudra following the stellardeer[90] in days of yore. And that Rakshasa enticed away Rama to a greatdistance by appearing before him at one time and disappearing from hisview at another. And when Rama at last knew who and what that deer was,viz., that he was a Rakshasa, that illustrious descendant of Raghu’s racetook out an infallible arrow and slew that Rakshasa, in the disguise of adeer. And struck with Rama’s arrow, the Rakshasa, imitating Rama’s voice,cried out in great distress, calling upon Sita and Lakshmana. And whenthe princess of Videha heard that cry of distress, she urged Lakshmana torun towards the quarter from whence the cry came. Then Lakshmana said toher, “Timid lady, thou hast no cause of fear! Who is so powerful as to beable to smite Rama? O thou of sweet smiles, in a moment thou wilt beholdthy husband Rama!’ Thus addressed, the chaste Sita, from that timiditywhich is natural to women, became suspicious of even the pure Lakshmana,and began to weep aloud. And that chaste lady, devoted to her husband,harshly reproved Lakshmana, saying, ‘The object which thou, O fool,cherishest in thy heart, shall never be fulfilled! I would rather killmyself with a weapon or throw myself from the top of a hill or enter intoa blazing fire than live with a sorry wretch like thee, forsaking myhusband Rama, like a tigress under the protection of a jackal!–

When the good natured Lakshmana, who was very fond of his brother, heardthese words, he shut his ears (with his hands) and set out on the trackthat Rama had taken. And Lakshmana set out without casting a singleglance on that lady with lips soft and red like the Bimba fruit.Meanwhile, the Rakshasa Ravana, wearing a genteel guise though wicked atheart, and like unto fire enveloped in a heap of ashes, showed himselfthere. And he appeared there in the disguise of a hermit, for forciblycarrying away that lady of blameless character. The virtuous daughter ofJanaka, seeing him come, welcomed him with fruits and root and a seat.Disregarding these and assuming his own proper shape, that bull amongRakshasas began to re-assure the princess of Videha in these words, ‘Iam, O Sita, the king of the Rakshasas, known by the name of Ravana! Mydelightful city, known by the name of Lanka is on the other side of thegreat ocean! There among beautiful women, thou wilt shine with me! O ladyof beautiful lips, forsaking the ascetic Rama do thou become my wife!’Janaka’s daughter of beautiful lips, hearing these and other words in thesame strain, shut her ears and replied unto him, saying, ‘Do not say so!The vault of heaven with all its stars may fall down, the Earth itselfmay be broken into fragments, fire itself may change its nature bybecoming cool, yet I cannot forsake the descendant of Raghu! How can ashe-elephant, who hath lived with the mighty leader of a herd with renttemples forsake him and live with a hog? Having once tasted the sweetwine prepared from honey or flowers, how can a woman, I fancy, relish thewretched arrak from rice?’ Having uttered those words, she entered thecottage, her lips trembling in wrath and her arms moving to and fro inemotion. Ravana, however, followed her thither and intercepted herfurther progress. And rudely scolded by the Rakshasa, she swooned away.But Ravana seized her by the hair of her head, and rose up into the air.Then a huge vulture of the name of Jatayu living on a mountain peak,beheld that helpless lady thus weeping and calling upon Rama in greatdistress while being carried away by Ravana.”