Ravana, the demon king entered the scene after the havoc wreaked by Rama. He is full of vengeance and made up his mind to abduct Sita. To implement the plot, Ravana approached Maricha and suggests his ill-fated idea. Maricha, who is fully aware of the prowess of Rama, divinity of Sita and destruction of Rakshasas in the plot, trembles with fear. Ravana cannot see the truth from the false veil laid in front of his eyes. Maricha pleads against the misadventure but the pride of Ravana gets the better of him, as he has no value for a mere human. Thus, he commands Maricha into accepting his role play against the bitter truth Maricha tries to imbibe in Ravana. With the trap laid out for Maricha who can neither go forward nor backward, we can see how he unwillingly accepts to help Ravana abduct the venerable Sita. We can see how this ill-gotten plot played out to disturb, weaken and enrage the holy trio. Ravana, in all glory and extremely proud of his own abilities initiates a war against the invincible Rama by this small destructive act. The fight for ages takes form now and let us look how it all started.
In chapter 41, Maricha dissuades Ravana again and warns him of the fatal consequences if Rama is irked by the wrongdoings of Ravana. In every utterance, Maricha repeats that not only Ravana but the entire demonic race is also going to ruin due to Ravana's impertinence. Finally, when Ravana is heedless of these advises, Maricha prepares himself to die by the arrow of an enemy, namely Rama, rather than by his own clansman, Ravana.
What had started as a gracious request turned into a royal mandate, a command meant to be obeyed and executed implicitly. Maricha protested vehemently, "Ravana, which sinner, jealous of your prosperity advised this? Your timid rivals pit you against an opponent stronger than yourself for your ruin. Where are the ministers who should be restraining you from this outrage? They deserve death. Why do you not kill them? It is through the mastery of their ruler that his counselors earn fame and glory, their vigilance for his welfare is most imperative. The subjects of a wayward and ill-advised king are ever in danger. Since the king is responsible for dharma he needs to be protected at all times. The reign of a king, who is licentious, pitiless and harsh, opposed to his subjects, will be turbulent. It is like traveling in a chariot, drawn by wild horses, driven by a reckless charioteer. Association with the wicked brings ruin and you will endanger the entire race of rakshasas. Arrogant and merciless, you are an enemy of your own people who are as safe as a flock of sheep, guarded by a jackal. If Rama kills me, I will deem it my good fortune. Consider me dead the moment I see Rama, just as you and your kinsmen will, the moment Sita is stolen."
In chapter 42, on travelling by the aircraft like chariot Ravana and Maricha enter Dandaka forest and arrive at the threshold of Rama's hermitage. Then, at the insistence of Ravana Maricha assumes the form of an amazing golden Deer, and Sita catches a sight of that deer.
Maricha frightened and saddened at Ravana's nonchalance towards his plight said, "None, who had opposed Rama are alive today, the moment Rama draws his weapon I will be dead. But now I will go at your bidding. May you prosper." Ravana was delighted, embracing his friend he said, "Now you are yourself, the real Maricha" Ravana and Maricha sped towards the hermitage of Rama. They went past cities, groves, mountains and rivers, to reach Dandaka. There they beheld the holy spot, where Rama lived. Ravana helped Maricha out of the chariot saying, "This must be the hermitage of Rama, let us embark on our mission". Maricha quietly transformed himself into a deer. The transformation was stunning and there stood Maricha in the form of the most magnificent deer ever to tread the earth. A matchless creation, its antlers were studded with sapphires and its golden body was dappled with luminous spots of silver. Slender and full of grace, its ears and mouth had the sheen of glowing sapphires, and the belly was white as a conch shell. The bright tuft of its flicking tail rivaled with the colors of the rainbow. Sometimes merging with the flocks that wandered around in the vicinity and at times moving away from them, the gentle creature pranced in the forest glades. It strayed closer to the hermitage nibbling at little blades of grass, as its brilliant tongue flicked in and out. It was then that Sita came out to gather flowers and saw the deer. Startled and in wide-eyed wonder she gazed raptly at a vision, so breathtaking in its dazzling splendor. The deer Maricha saw Rama's consort whose radiance illumined the entire forest. The princess of Ayodhya stood still watching the deer with its ethereal beauty, its dainty gait and its timid movements.
In chapter 43, on spotting the deer Sita calls Rama and Lakshmana to have sight of it. Lakshmana immediately concludes it to be Maricha, but Sita, keeping his observation aside asks Rama to fetch it. Rama is also fascinated when he looked at that deer and he explains to Lakshmana as to why that particular deer is to be hunted down.
Sita looked longingly at the mesmeric charm of the beast. She called out to Rama and Lakshmana. Lakshmana came, he saw and he knew it to be Maricha. "This animal is no deer" he said. "Unique and exotic, it is an illusion born out of the magic of the rakshasa known as Maricha. Many are his guises and many the royal hunters who have been beguiled and slain by him. Nowhere on earth does a fawn like this exist. Myriad are the beautiful creatures that roam these woods, but I have yet to see one so bewitching. This matchless creature surpasses the beauty of them all". Sita seemed oblivious of what Lakshmana had said. She gazed like one hypnotized at a vision that had stolen her heart. Real or unreal, she wanted to possess it. "What beauty, what radiance, what splendor!" she exclaimed, "This nimble animal, with its graceful limbs fascinates me. If you can capture it alive, it will be an object of great wonder here at the hermitage, and when the exile ends, it will adorn the palace of the queens at Ayodhya. Even if it cannot be captured alive, its skin will suffice. I do crave pardon for my wanton demand, as it does not befit a lady to ask so freely of her lord. Such eagerness may not be decorous."
The phantom deer seemed to capture even Rama's attention for he looked at it with wonder and fell into the trap that destiny had laid. "Look Lakshmana" he said, "Look at this marvel that Sita craves. We may never find another like this again. Neither Indra's Nandanavana nor Kubera's Chaitraratha can boast of one like this, much less the earth. But if this is the magic of Maricha it is all the more imperative that I kill him, for many have suffered his merciless torment. Defying me if Maricha still wants to war he shall perish like Vatapi. Guard Sita, expecting trouble and danger at all times from all directions," warned Rama repeatedly before leaving in pursuit of the elusive animal. A captive of the mysterious deer that stood so tantalizingly before her, Sita did not know then, how well Ravana's ploy had worked.
In chapter 44, Rama eliminates Maricha when he is escaping beyond reach in the form of Golden Deer. He sports with that deer for a long time and when it is leading him away and afar from the hermitage, he is vexed with the trickery of the deer and kills it. At the time of his death Maricha shouts out for Seetha and Lakshmana, as demanded by Ravana. Rama is perplexed at this oddity of Maricha and presumes that some danger is imminent and then returns to hermitage.
Commanding Lakshmana to guard Sita, Rama set out with bow in hand and sword at waist. The grazing deer pricked up its ears, saw Rama and felt a cold wave of fear. Maricha trapped in that magnificent body recalled his earlier encounters with Rama and knew that death was now a certainty. He disappeared from where he stood, appearing again at another spot. Leaping through the air, hidden between boughs and branches, the magical animal lured Rama away from the hermitage. Feigning fatigue he would rest a moment and bound away the next. Like the moon dipping in and out of clouds, Maricha the deer taunted the prince of Kosala. Despite the exertion, Rama was keen to capture the deer alive. But he was soon tiring and Maricha sensed it. In a last bid effort to save himself, Maricha fled swift as the wind and fleet of foot. He scaled formidable mountains, from whose peaks he seemed to reach the skies trying to run away from an inescapable fate and from certain death. Rama gave up his chase to trap the frisky fawn; which was so elusive, so spectacular and yet so impossible to catch. He readied his final assault and shot an arrow, which struck the body of the deer and pierced the heart of Maricha. Mortally wounded he lay writhing in pain and through the haze of that pain Ravana's instructions flashed through Maricha's fast fading mind. As death approached, the body of the golden deer ceased and in its place the enormous body of a rakshasa, with fearful fangs emerged. With his dying breath Maricha cried out, "Ah Sita, Ah Lakshmana," in a voice so much like that of Rama. It was then that Rama recollected Lakshmana cautioning him against "rakshasa maya". He grew anxious about the immediate reaction of Sita and Lakshmana, when those dreadful sounds reached them.
In chapter 45, Sita rebukes Lakshmana for he is still here, loitering away even after listening Rama's cry for help. She goes to the extent of slandering him as having intents to woo her, at the cost of Rama's life. Lakshmana tries to pacify her but in vain, as she persists in her rash talk. Lakshmana leaves her alone and starts to reach Rama, broken-heartedly.
Maricha's cries of agony had the effect that Ravana had hoped for. "Go Lakshmana," said Sita, alarmed at the sound of agony that echoed through emerald green tunnels and over glistening canopies of verdant jungles. "My heart quails and I shudder at the dangers that lurk in the dark depths of the jungle. Like a bull amongst lions, Rama must be in the midst of tormenting rakshasas". Sita's desperate implorations made no impact on Lakshmana. He made no move to leave and this annoyed Sita who gave vent to her agony in no uncertain terms. She told him harshly "You are an enemy of your brother, in the guise of a friend. Infatuated with me, you desire the destruction of your brother. If you think that you cannot leave me unguarded, you are mistaken. You are here to serve Rama. If Rama himself is in peril, of what use is your presence here". Tearful and woebegone she looked like a frightened doe. To her detriment she refused to recognize Lakshmana's purpose, which was as free of guile as his heart was free of sin.
Lakshmana tried to convince Sita, that there was no need to fear for Rama, "Sita there is nothing in this creation that can match Rama's peerless might. Neither pannagas, suras, gandharvas, devas, rakshasas nor men can ever face, let alone vanquish Rama in battle. Bands of rakshasas roam this forest to avenge their slain leaders. They are vicious and wily. One among them obviously imitated Rama's voice to strike terror in our hearts. The voice that you heard is as illusory as the mythical city of Gandharva. Give up your doubts and your causeless anxiety".
His words fell on deaf ears. Sita looked at Lakshmana with utter contempt. Eyes flashing and red with anger she lashed out, "Lakshmana you are a man without character. You have accompanied Rama only to harm him. Incited by Bharata, conniving with him, do you behave thus? How can I, married to Rama who is as handsome as a god, ever think of anyone else? Not for a moment will I survive without Rama, nor would I hesitate to give up my life in your presence". Lakshmana's predicament was pathetic. He was hurt and in a quandary as he begged to differ. "Vaidehi, to me you are a deity. Your words are unjust and improper, but not unusual of women. Whimsical, harsh, inconsistent and indifferent, their sharp tongues can cause a rift between the closest of relationships. Your blame of me is most undeserving and pierces me like red-hot arrows. May the gods of the forest bear witness to your anger, which repels my efforts to protect you. Women are callous and suspicious. How can you suspect me, to whom his brother's word is law? I will now go. May the deities of the forest protect you. The omens that I behold, make me apprehensive of your safety and I fear that the worst is yet in store for us. Will I ever see you with Rama again?"
In chapter 46, Ravana praises Sita's beauty by extolling every limb of hers, though he enters like a Brahman sanyasi, a friar. He indulges in a most untoward laudation that is unbefitting for a saintly and elderly almsman. Unable to refute him, because he is in such a pious garb, she had to invite him as an untimely guest.
At that fateful hour as Sita watched Lakshmana step out of the hermitage, her life was clouded forever. It was also Ravana's moment of triumph. He seized the opportunity with wicked glee. He approached Sita in the guise of a hermit. His robes were russet and his hair was bound in a knot. Wearing sandals, he held an umbrella, staff and a water pitcher. Just as an ominous darkness shrouds the earth at dusk, so was Ravana's coming in the absence of Rama and Lakshmana. He cast his evil eyes on Sita. The churning of the sea had brought forth the marvel called Lakshmi and as though to excel that act, the earth came up with the marvel of Sita, a woman of unsurpassed beauty. In a face radiant as the moon her eyes were like the lotus petals. Pearly white teeth hid behind soft pink lips and she was clad in golden hued silks. Tears of anguish were streaming down her cheeks as she wept for Rama.
"Beautiful one", said Ravana, feigning the gentle manner of a noble Brahmin, with Vedas on his lips and evil in his heart, "your skin rivals the sheen of gold. Your lotus like face, eyes, hands and feet remind me of a blossoming vine. Who are you? Are you Bhudevi, Sri Devi or Rati Devi? Could you be an apsara or the goddess Lakshmi? Like a river in spate sweeps away its banks, you have swept me off my feet. Neither gods, nor celestials nor mortals can match your beauty. This is not a fit home for you who are so dainty; it wrings my heart to see you like this. You should be living in palaces and fragrant groves, eating the best of food, wearing the finest of clothes and the most exquisite of jewels. You deserve a husband, befitting your charm. Go home lady. This place is infested with rakshasas whose form is dreadful and whose thoughts are lecherous. No yaksha, gandharva or kinnera inhabit these parts. This is home to the demons. Do not the beasts of prey that stalk these jungles, frighten you? Who are you and who are your people? Where do you come from and why do you stay alone in Dandaka, among the fierce rakshasas?" Sita treated Ravana like an honored guest guileless as a child she offered him hospitality and food. "Brahmin here is your seat and here is your 'Arghya' the best of forest fare awaits you" she said. Sita saw Ravana as a noble Brahmin. Ravana saw her as an object of his passions and to his ruin coveted to possess it by force. Ravana schemed as Sita scanned the horizon for Rama and Lakshmana. But her gaze met only the cool green of the forest that gazed back at her silently.
This concludes chapters 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46 of Aranya Kanda where we had seen the true words of wisdom from Maricha falling on deaf ears of Ravana. Thus, the plot takes shape and Maricha, assuming a most splendid deer ever seen roams around the habitat of Rama, trying to get the attention of Sita. Without any deviation from the master plot, Sita is very much enticed by the golden deer as she falls for the matchless beauty. Rama went in pursuit of the deer as the deer lures him far away from the home. Finally, Maricha in the form of deer was killed, the moment at which it loudly cries out ‘Ah Sita, Ah Lakshmana’ in Rama’s voice. As Lakshmana went in search of Rama, away from the home; Ravana enters it in the form of a poor noble Brahmin seeking alms. Let us see how the discussion between Sita and Ravana progresses which leads to the abduction of Sita in the subsequent chapters.
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