October 21 - Sargas 18 and 19 of Sundara Kanda.
Ravana comes to see Sita. Hanuman sees them and describes the stark contrast between them to himself.
***
The night is drawing to a close. Hanuman, hidden in the tree, hears the chant of Vedic hymns by Brahmin-rakshasas. By incantations and musical praises, Ravana is being woken up.
विबुद्ध्य तु माहाभागो राक्षसेन्द्रः प्रतापवान् ।
स्रस्तमाल्याम्बरधरो वैदेहीमन्वचिन्तयत् ॥
"The great Ravana, king of rakshasas and full of power, woke up with his clothes and garlands in disarray from sleep and last night's intoxicated exertions. The very first thought that came to his passionate mind was of Sita, Vaidehi.
"Besotted with lust for Sita, Ravana dressed himself up grandly in quick time. He proceeded in an impressive procession to meet Sita in Ashoka Vana."
The bewitching spectacle of the royal path and the entrance and environs of Ashoka Vana are already familiar to us.
अङ्गनाशतमात्रं तु तं व्रजन्तमनुव्रजत् A hundred or more royal women accompanied Ravana. Valmiki describes how they carried fans, golden lamps, pots of liquor and water, and the royal umbrella white with a golden handle that looked like a swan. Valmiki says those beautiful women and their paraphernalia shone like lightning against the dark cloud-like appearance of Ravana. Needless to say, many women were also in disarray, intoxicated, and unable to fix themselves quickly before joining Ravana. But it didn't seem important to Ravana, with his passions stirred and mind fixated on Sita.
मथितामृतफेनाभमरजोवस्त्रमुत्तमम् ।
सलीलमनुकर्षन्तं विमुक्तं सक्तमङ्गदे ॥
"Ravana pulled up and adjusted the splendid white upper cloth which looked like foamy Amruta, as it slipped from his shoulder a bit." We can easily relate to this image as we have seen celluloid heroes adjust their clothes as they arrive on the red carpet, alighting from stretch limos at Cannes.
रावणोऽयं महाबाहुरिति संचिन्त्य वानरः ।
सोऽयमेव पुरा शेते पुरमध्ये गृहोत्तमे ।
अवप्लुतो महातेजा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः ॥
""Of course, this is Ravana, the same person I saw sleeping in his glorious central palace inside the city before. " Thus thinking, the radiant son of the Wind-god, Hanuman, descended in the Shimshupa tree to a lower branch to get a closer look at the rakshasa king. "
***
Valmiki now describes Sita, the object of Ravana's attentions.
On seeing Ravana arrive, Sita, seated on the bare ground, shook like a banana plant in a stormy wind. Obviously, this seems to have been his routine.
आच्छाद्योदरमूरुभ्यां बाहुभ्यां च पयोधरौ ।
उपविष्टा विशालाक्षी रुदन्ती वरवर्णिनी ॥
समीपं राजसिंहस्य रामस्य विदितात्मनः ।
संकल्पहयसंयुक्तैर्यान्तीमिव मनोरथैः ॥
"There huddled Sita, with her knees and hunched legs enclosing her middle, her arms clasped around her breasts, in a wretched state of extreme distress, a strange picture as she was large-eyed and divinely beautiful too.
"Her persona, going beyond her body, was transported by her train of thought which was like a set of well-trained horses commanded well by the charioteer, to where Sri Rama, the man of self-realization, and her lord and master, and the lion among kings, was."
Valmiki gives a number of comparisons to describe the physical situation of Sita, contrasting it with her mental state. Emaciated by much fasting, dull and soiled in body, looking like a star or moon engulfed in an eclipse, like a fallen tree branch, a coiled serpent. She was born in high family and had an impeccable royal personality, and yet, here she was like a fallen female undergoing purgatorial punishment. She was heaving and sighing like a female royal elephant forcibly separated from her lord tusker and bound to a pillar.
We shall read next how Ravana cajoles and then threatens Sita with sure death if she does not bow to his carnal desires.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
