August 19 - Sargas 46 and 47 of Aranya Kanda.
Enters Ravana in the guise of a mendicant. While Sita offers him courtesies and hospitality, he is unable to contain himself. He is swept away by lust and proposes to Sita that she become his principal queen in his capital, Lankapuri.
***
A very angry Lakshmana leaves, impatient to go and meet Sri Rama. There sits Sita in the hermitage, crying piteously.
***
Ravana was in wait. He now entered, dressed impressively as a mendicant, wearing fine ochre robes, matted locks, holding an umbrella, wearing leather sandals, with the traditional staff pinned under his left shoulder and the kamandalu waterpot in his left hand - indeed a very good deception. He came to Sita as darkness encompasses an evening caught without the sun or the moon, as Sita was alone, without Sri Rama or Lakshmana. The extremely cruel Ravana looked at the most auspicious Sita, wife of Sri Rama as Ketu looks at Rohini when the moon is not around.
Valmiki says that even the trees of Jansthana shuddered with fright and the Godavari flowed tamely in fear, seeing the blood-red-eyed Ravana. Valmiki compares Ravana to Saturn approaching the Chitra star. His appearance was most deceptive like shrubs and grass camouflaging a well in the path of an unwary traveller.
Sita wore a splendid yellow silk cloth. Her eyes were lotus-like, her face like the full moon, and right now she was looking most distressed. Ravana began chanting the Vedas. But overcome with lust, he spoke to Sita, a supreme beauty who looked like goddess Lakshmi albeit without lotuses in her hands.
ह्रीः श्री: कीर्तिश्शुभा लक्ष्मीरप्सरा वा शुभानने ।
भूतिर्वा त्वं वरारोहे रतिर्वा स्वैरचारिणी ॥
"Oh lady with the beautiful face, shapely waist, you're shyness personified, who are you? Lakshmi, goddess of fame, a celestial maiden, or the goddess of fortune, or Rati, who roams at will and does what she pleases?"
Ravana went on to describe every part of Sita's beautiful feminine anatomy, leaving no detail to our imagination. He said her beauty ravished him like a river in flood breaches its banks. What was such a lady doing alone in this forest, full of dangers from rakshasas and wild animals? She deserved to be in the company of a husband who could provide her with the choicest of luxuries and comforts! Who was she, indeed?
Sita offered the holy mendicant a seat, water, and forest fare. All the while, Ravana was making up his mind to abduct her quickly. Sita looked out anxiously in vain for signs of Sri Rama and Lakshmana returning to the hermitage.
***
Sita was afraid that the brahmin may curse her if she did not introduce herself. She dutifully narrated the whole story of her being the princess of Mithila wedded to the noblest Sri Rama, son of the king Dasharatha. About how Kaikeyi thwarted the king's plans to coronate Sri Rama and banished him to the forest. Sri Rama was 25 years then, and Sita was merely 18 years of age. They had been married for 12 years then.
Sri Rama was righteousness and duty personified and came away to the forest accompanied by Sita. His noble and valiant younger brother Lakshmana followed them.
दद्यान्न प्रतिगृह्णीयात् सत्यं ब्रूयान्न चानृतम् ।
एतद् ब्राह्मण रामस्य व्रतं धृतमनुत्तमम् ॥
"Oh Brahmin, this is Sri Rama's firm and most praiseworthy vow: One should always give and not take. One should speak only the truth and nothing but the truth."
Sita said that Sri Rama and Lakshmana would return very soon from their hunt, with the choicest of meats to be offered to the Brahmin for lunch. Meanwhile, he should introduce himself in detail along with his gotra. How come he was roaming in the forest like this?
***
"Sita, everyone knows me as Ravana, the supreme lord of rakshasas, whom gods, humans, serpents, and all demons fear the most. After seeing you, oh beautiful lady, I have lost interest in all my wives. Come and be my chief queen! My capital is the glorious city of Lanka on a mountain in the sea. You should stroll in its pleasure gardens with me, carefree and happy, and not languish here in the forest. I shall have five thousand ornamented attendants and handmaids constantly serving you."
Sita was most infuriated by Ravana's words. She replied with great spirit that she was not available. The shlokas of Valmiki are many and sonorous indeed. I shall quote only a few here:
पूर्णचन्द्राननं रामं राजवत्सं जितेन्द्रियम् ।
पृथुकीर्तिं महात्मानमहं राममनुव्रता ॥
"Know that I am the faithful wife of Sri Rama, who has a moon-like beautiful face, who is a royal heir, known to be a master of his senses, renowned all over the world, and a magnificent soul!"
त्वं पुनर्जम्बुकः सिंहीं मामिहेच्छसि दुर्लभाम् ।
नाहं शक्या त्वया स्प्रष्टुमादित्यस्य प्रभा यथा ॥
"You are like a jackal coveting a lioness, who will be impossible to get. I am totally unattainable and impossible for you to touch much like the radiance of the blazing sun."
Sita tells that Ravana will see "golden trees" ( a Sanskrit idiom for a dying man) if he dared to possess her. His attempt would be as ill-fated as that of one trying to pull the sharp teeth of a hungry and mighty lion or the fangs of a king cobra. Ravana by coveting her was piercing his own eyes with a needle and licking the blade of a razor. Ravana was trying to wrap in his cloth a blazing fire.
यदन्तरं काञ्चनसीसलोहयो-
र्यदन्तरं चन्दनवारिपङ्कयोः ।
यदन्तरं हस्तिबिडालयोर्वने
तदन्तरं दाशरथेस्तवैव ॥
"Just like the difference between gold and lead, between sandal paste and sea-slime, between an elephant and a small cat in the jungle, is the difference between Dasharathi Rama and yourself."
Sita started trembling in her limbs from fear of Ravana.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
