August 23 - Sargas 54 and 55 of Aranya Kanda.
Sita sees five giant monkeys (vanaras) sitting on the top of a mountain. Thinking quickly, she ties many of her ornaments in her silken upper cloth of golden colour and drops them which the vanaras notice. They also see that a very beautiful, young woman is being carried away by a rakshasa in a southerly direction as she keeps screaming, "Oh Rama, come and save me!" in a terribly distressed voice.
Ravana takes Sita to his golden palace. He appoints ghost-like rakshasis to guard her. He sends away eight terrific rakshasas to Janasthana to find out what Rama is doing, keeping Ravana informed constantly, and trying their best to kill Rama.
Ravana takes Sita on a tour of his splendid palace and begs her to become his queen.
***
ह्रियमाणा तु वैदेही कञ्चिन्नाथमपश्यती ।
ददर्श गिरिशृङ्गस्थान् पञ्चवानरपुङ्गवान् ॥
तेषां मध्ये विशालाक्षी कौशेयं कनकप्रभम् ।
उत्तरीयं वरारोहा शुभान्याभरणानि च ॥
मुमोच यदि रामाय शंसेयुरिति भामिनी ।
वस्त्रमुत्सृज्य तन्मध्ये निक्षिप्तं सहभूषणम् ॥
"Vaidehi Sita, being carried off forcibly, was looking around anxiously for some remote assistance to escape. She then saw on the top of a mountain peak a group of five giant monkeys (vanaras).
"The large-eyed Sita quickly removed her upper golden silk cloth as well as many of her beautiful ornaments. She dropped them all in a bundle near those monkeys, hoping that they would inform Sri Rama of what they saw and hand over these ornaments bundled in her cloth to him. "
Indeed some really quick thinking by Sita. Her act of dropping those items from the sky to the vanaras below went unnoticed by Ravana who was puffing and speeding away towards his capital.
विक्रोशन्तीं तदा सीतां ददृशुर्वानरोत्तमाः
The vanaras were alarmed to see a young maiden being carried away like this. They heard her crying out to Rama to come and save her. They duly retrieved the bundle.
Valmiki says that demigods and rishis who could see this abduction pronounced that Ravana's death seemed imminent. Ravana himself was clasping the most deadly snake of retribution whose bite would soon prove fatal.
Once they reached his palace, Ravana quickly hid away Sita in a chamber guarded by ghost-like rakshasis. They should guard her so that no man or woman would meet her unless ordered by Ravana. The rakshasis should fulfill every wish of Sita and give her whatever she asked for, luxuries, adornments, comforts, as they would do to please Ravana.
Ravana also saw eight terrific rakshasa warriors. Praising their might and reminding them of their past deeds of valour, he despatched them at once as secret agents to Janasthana to fill the void created by Sri Rama by extinguishing Khara with his army. Ravana told them that Rama was his foremost enemy and he would not rest till killing Rama.
***
Then a weeping and pathetic Sita was forced by Ravana to take a tour of his extremely impressive palace. There were precious stone-embedded pillars and walls, ornamented windows, smooth marble floors, and splendour on display in every direction. Beautiful trees harboured singing birds of many kinds. Lakes and gardens were everywhere. It was simply heavenly. Ravana also told Sita that there were 33 crore able-bodied rakshasas ready to lay their lives down for him. He was the supreme monarch of all rakshasas. And Sita well knew that Lanka was a faraway island (a few hundred miles away) in the sea and nobody had a chance to come there to help her.
Sita was covering her face in a cloth and sobbing bitterly even as she was led by Ravana on this tour.
न देवेषु न यक्षेषु न गन्धर्वेषु नर्षिषु ।
अहं पश्यामि लोकेषु यो मे वीर्यसमो भवेत् ॥
राज्यभ्रष्टेन दीनेन तापसेन पदातिना ।
किं करिष्यसि रामेण मानुषेणाल्पतेजसा ॥
"Sita, I don't see anyone, either among gods, or other celestials, elves, ascetics, or anyone else who can equal me in strength and come to face me in a battle.
"What can you hope to do with that miserable Rama, banished from his kingdom, wandering in a most pitiable condition, taking on the life of an ascetic, and travelling on foot? He is after all a mere human, a short-lived mortal and of extremely limited worth.
भजस्व सीते मामेव भर्ताहं सदृशस्तव ।
यौवनं त्वध्रुवं भीरु रमस्वेह मया सह ॥
न चापि रावणः काञ्चिन्मूर्ध्ना स्त्रीं प्रणमेत ह ।
"Come, Sita! Accept me and love me as your husband. I alone am worthy of you. Remember and beware that your youth is but short-lived. Don't waste your life but enjoy it to the full with me. By the way, among us rakshasas, capturing a woman and enjoying her at will is an accepted Dharma.
"And you should know, Sita, so far, Ravana has never bowed his head at any woman's feet and pleaded with her to accept him. Women always come easily to me and I have many here. They will all be your slaves. "
Ravana was convinced that he had won a mighty war with Rama by claiming Sita. This was indeed for him a great victory.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
