3.56. Braving terror sItA is focused on rAma

Hari Om.

Let us begin the fifty sixth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.

The foolish rAvaNa used treachery effectively to divert both rAma and lakshmaNa away from the hermitage and abducted sItA. On the way, jaTAyu fought valiantly to protect sItA but ultimately fell. The demon carried sItA away forcibly. She lamented, moaned and yet kept looking for a saviour, or at least one who can pass on her news to rAma. In the face of adversity, this was unimaginable. She happened to see five vAnara warriors and dropped some of her ornaments tied in a piece of cloth. The demon landed in lanka. Charging eight warriors with the duty of keeping a tab on rAma at janasthAna, he went back to sItA who was guarded by scary demonesses. He showed her around, the grand glittering palace, the well laid out city of lanka, the usurped aerial chariot pushpaka, the enormous human resource at his service, the thousands of women who he brought from all over and wedded. He offered her that she would lord over all of them, if she accepts him. He tried to draw comparison between the hard life at the forest in the company of a mortal or a life of luxury as his wife bossing over his people. He thought in utter stupidity that she would fall for it and delighted. Onwards…

Lured thus by rAvaNa, vaidEhI, unafraid and sorrowful, retorted keeping aa blade of grass between them [blade of grass to indicate she is speaking to someone she is not in favor and indicating her disapproval] –

“There was a renowned king by name daSaratha, the protector of dharma and ever truthful. His son rAghava, famous by the name rAma in the three worlds. That long-armed, wide eyed, lion-like strong rAma born in the clan of the ikshvAkus is my lord and husband and along with lakshmaNa he will suck out your life. If you had tried to abduct me in his presence, right there in the janasthAna you would have lied dead next to khara. The mighty demons that you boasted of are no match for his valor and will be impotent against his arrows like the serpents are against garuDa. His unerring golden arrows unleashed from the bow will eat away like the surging ganga eats way the banks.

You claim invulnerability from the gods or demons, but having earned this great enmity with rAma you will not be spared. The migty rAma will put an end what little is left of your life and you are days are numbered just as that of an animal tied to a sacrificial post. If rAma so much as casts his angry glare at you, that will reduce you to ashes. He who is capable of pulling the moon to the earth or destroying it will certainly free me from this captivity.

Your time is up, your wealth is a thing of the past, your strength is dwindling and your senses have dimmed. And by your actions, this lanka is certain to attain widowhood. The foolish and without foresight act that you committed by abducting and separating me from my husband will bring no good to you. My husband supported by the divine powers sits unafraid in the desolate danDaka forest. He will get you, by virtue of his swathe of arrows he will torment you in combat and will mitigate your pride, might and arrogance. Those whose time is up, generally get astray from the path and indulge in committing blunders. You demon, lowlife, the day you assaulted me, by assaulting me you have brought yourself that ignominious end not only to yourself but to your ilk and your city.

I am the rightful wife of that righteous rAghava and how dare you covet me like the prohibited one seeking access to the yajna? You ought not touch me, lowlife! The female swan in the company of the royal swan that feasts on the lotuses in the lotus pond won’t even look at the crow sitting on the grasslands.

इदं शरीरं निस्संज्ञं बन्ध वा खातयस्व वा।

नेदं शरीरं रक्षयं मे जीवितं वापि राक्षस।।3.56.21।।

न तु शक्ष्याम्युपक्रोशं पृथिव्यां दातुमात्मनः।

I have no consciousness of this body. You may either bury it or imprison it, I have no desire to protect it or live. One thing I can never do is to bring disgrace to it in the world”.

Thus, burning with anger vaidEhI blasted rAvaNa and kept quiet. Listening to those hair-raising and terrifying words of vaidEhI, rAVaNa tried to instill fear in her and said –

“Listen maithilI (sItA), withing twelve months if you do not accept my hand, the very next morning after that the chefs will cut you into small bits”.

In surging anger he then stamped his foot on the ground making the earth shake and turned in rage to those terrifying ogresses who feasted on flesh and blood all the time and ordered them –

“Ensure her pride is mitigated. Lead her away in to the aSOka grove and guard her there in her privacy. There torture and coax her in turns to bring her around like the female elephant is tamed”.

Ordered thus, the ogresses, immediately surrounded sItA and led hr away to the grove. The grove was wooded, in full bloom and laden with fruits in all seasons and where birds chirped about happily always. Surrounded by the scary ogresses, sItA felt like a deer caught by the tigresses or in a snare and was deeply disturbed.

न विन्दते तत्र तु शर्म मैथिली विरूपनेत्राभिरतीव तर्जिता।

पतिं स्मरन्ती दयितं च देवतं विचेतनाऽभूद्भयशोकपीडिता।।3.56.36।।

As those crooked demonesses tortured her, sItA kept only remembering her dear husband and lord rAma and depressed lost her senses briefly.