Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty seventh sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The abduction of sItA is complete. rAvaNa couldn’t celebrate though. He found sItA to be extremely tough. She was audacious, brave, blunt. She lambasted him severely for the conduct unbecoming of a king. She warned that this would spell his end. She was very certain that rAma wouldn’t take this affront lightly and will come to annihilate rAvaNa along with his retinue. Seeing sItA to be so unyielding, rAvaNa was angry and gave her a deadline of twelve months to turn around and accept him, or else she would be mercilessly slaughtered and shredded at the end of it. She was not one to fear death. All she cared for was loyalty to rAma and be unblemished in her pursuit of rAma. The ten-headed demon ordered the scary and terrifying monsters to put her in captivity in the private aSokA grove, ensure her safety and use a carrot and stick approach to turn her around and make her agree to his proposal. So what is going on with rAma, maharshi vAlmIki now turns the attention to janasthAna where rAma is anxious having heard the dying demon mimic his voice and mislead sItA and lakshmaNa about his safety. He is distressed thinking about what could be going on in the mind of sItA. Onwards…
Having slain the demon mAricha, masquerading as a deer, rAma was heading back to his hermitage quickly in order to meet sItA. He then heard the scary howl of a jackal from behind. He heard the howl, recognized the bad omen and thought –
मारीचेन तु विज्ञाय स्वरमालम्ब्य मामकम्।
विक्रुष्टं मृगरूपेण लक्ष्मणश्शृणुयाद्यदि।।3.57.5।।
स सौमित्रिस्स्वरं श्रुत्वा तां च हित्वाच मैथिलीम्।
तयेह प्रहितः क्षिप्रं मत्सकाशमिहैष्यति।।3.57.6।।
“If lakshmaNa heard the piteous cry of mAricha imitating him, he would be forced by sItA to go for my rescue. And if he went for my rescue leaving sItA alone in the hermitage, would she be alive or swallowed by the demons? This seems to be a plan jointly hatched by mAricha and other demons to hurt sItA. That was the reason, I was drawn away very far and while succumbing to my arrows mAricha blared up the piteous cry imitating my voice as if I am in danger. While living in this janasthAna, I have earned enmity with the hoard of demons. I hope both lakshmaNa and sItA without my protection are safe. Dreadful omens are seen by me”.
Thus filled with apprehensions and anxiety rAma rushed to the hermitage in the janasthAna. The birds and beasts made dreadful sounds and kept following him to his left. These portents made rAma very worried and depressed and he picked up speed to reach sItA and lakshmaNa while being very anxious about their safety.
As he hurried thus, he saw the lack luster lakshmaNa coming towards him and the forlorn and dejected one met the forlorn and dejected one.
तो लक्ष्मणमायान्तं ददर्श विगतप्रभम्।
ततोऽविदूरे रामेण समीयाय स लक्ष्मणः।।3.57.15।।
विषण्णस्सुविषण्णेन दुःखितो दुःखभागिना।
Rushing to lakshmaNa, holding his left hand, he upbraided him sweetly and earnestly with harsh words and said – “O lakshmaNa, this act of yours for having left sItA to fend for herself in this forest is really condemnable. Alas, I am not sure she will be safe now. I am seeing bad omens all around, and am pretty sure sItA must have been destroyed or hurt or swallowed by the forest ranging demons. Alas, lakshmaNa, do you think we will find sItA hale and hearty in the hermitage? Will we find her? I am inundated with terrifying omens, the howls of the jackals and the screeches of the beasts and birds facing the skies and the burning Sun. O mighty one, I am anxious if the princess sItA is safe. I was lured away by the demon in the form of a deer very far and with great effort, I killed him. While dying that deer took the original form of the demon. O lakshmaNa my mind is filled with apprehensions and dejected, my left eye is twitching, doubtless, sItA is either abducted, dead or abandoned”.
मनश्च मे दीनमिहाप्रहृष्टं चक्षुश्च सव्यं कुरुते विकारम्।
असंशयं लक्ष्मण नास्ति सीता हृता मृता वा पथि वर्तते वा।।3.57.24।।
Here we conclude the fifty seventh sarga of the araNya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 3.58. Despair descends
Previous: 3.56. Braving terror sItA is focused on rAma
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
