37. CLOSELY GUARDED :

SITA opened her eyes red with anger
and grief, and facing Ravana cried: "Base
fellow! You boasted of your fame and
your great origin and your warlike
qualities, but have you behaved like a
brave warrior? Are you not ashamed of
yourself? What sort of warrior is he who
waits for the husband's absence to steal his
wife and carries off a lonely helpless
woman when no one is nearer to prevent
it? What heroic deed to kill the old bird
that tried to save me! How brave was your
talk in the ashrama! The world will no
doubt remember and praise this great hero
who dares not fight but is prepared to
steal! If indeed you come of a noble
family, what a shame you have brought
upon it! And what do you hope by thus
carrying me off? How long do you hope
to live? Very soon Rama's arrows will
seek you out and end your life. Know that
the moment Rama sets eyes on you, you
are dead. Do not hope to escape. Your
death is certain at his hands. What then do
you gain by this cheating? I will never be
yours. I shall die before I yield to you and
you cannot escape my lord, having
incurred his wrath. Very soon you will see
the river Vaitarani in hell. The red-hot
image is awaiting you there for your
embrace. So is the tree with iron spikes.
Rama within an hour slew your army of
myriad Rakshasas in Janasthana. Will he
let you escape? Soon will he send you to
Yama."



While Sita was speaking words of
contempt and warning, Ravana,
chariotless, sped like an arrow across the
sky towards Lanka. They went over many
mountains and rivers and Sita saw some
people below standing on a hilltop. She
took off her sash and tying up her jewels
in it threw the bundle down.



She did this hoping that the ornaments
thus dropped may be seen by Rama and
give him a clue of the direction in which
she was carried away.



Crossing the Pampa and then the sea,
Ravana entered the city of Lanka. He
went to his apartments with the griefstricken
Sita. The fool thought that he had
secured the prize, but he was taking home
his own death in a woman's form. Then,
summoning some demon-like Rakshasis,
he ordered them to keep watch over Sita,
specially commanding them to let none
approach her without his permission.




"Give her whatever she wants, clothes
or gold or jewels. Serve her and do her
honor as you would serve and honor me,"
he enjoined them.




And he added the warning: "Anyone
who utters a word which might offend her
will be punished with death. No one,
knowingly or unknowingly, should cause
her anger or grief."



Having thus installed Sita in the inner
apartment, he considered what should be
done next. He sent for some clever spies
and gave them this mandate:



"Go at once to Janasthana where Khara
lived. Watch carefully and bring me word
what Rama is doing. So long as that Rama
is alive I cannot sleep. He is my greatest
foe. Somehow, he should be killed. Go
boldly now and do your job and return."



Imprisoned within a fortress in a seagirt
island, Sita did not know where she
was or how far from Rama. She expected
that her lord would somehow arrive, kill

Ravana and redeem her.



Though full of grief, thinking of the
strength and prowess of her lord she was
bold and steady in mind. It was also some
consolation that the Rakshasa king did not

behave like a beast with her.



Having despatched his men to
Janasthana, Ravana returned to Sita's
presence. He saw her overwhelmed by
grief and shedding tears. The Rakshasis

were watching her with care.



He thought that if she saw his wealth
and power she would yield to him. She
was therefore taken round in the great

palace and shown the wealth and grandeur
there displayed. No king on earth had ever
possessed such wealth and means of
enjoyment.




Sita was shown gold and jewels and
silks in plenty; curiously wrought
platforms, vehicles and towers; thousands
of maid servants and every symbol of
wealth and royal power. But her thoughts
were elsewhere.



Ravana tried to convince her also of
the vastness of his army. But then she had
already formed her opinion of his prowess
and had described it to him in scathing
terms.



Yet, Ravana argued: "All this you can
count and enjoy as your own. You shall be
my queen, dearer to me than life itself. I
have many wives but you shall be mistress
of them all. Hereafter my love shall be for
you and you alone. Listen to me. Do my
desire. For hundreds of miles the sea
surrounds this island which is guarded by
thousands of mighty soldiers. No one can
enter this city. No one among the gods or
asuras can match me in might; and they
know it. What pleasure or honor is it for
you to stick to a poor human creature
banished from his kingdom, a destitute
wandering in the forest? To match your
beauty, you need my wealth. Do not waste
the years of our youth. You are never
again going to set eyes on Rama. Be
certain of that. Rama cannot approach this
city. Treat this kingdom as yours. Treat
me and all the obedient gods as slaves.



Till now, because of your sins in some
previous birth, you have suffered
hardship. Here after you will enjoy with
me the fruits of your former merits. You
will be the queen of Lanka and the wife of
the Lord of Lanka, the conqueror of
Kubera. Let us take our pleasure floating
about the world in the Pushpaka vimana.
Let the cloud of sorrow disappear from
your face and let the moon of joy appear."



As Ravana went on speaking thus,
tears flowed from Sita's eyes. She covered
her face with the end of her sari as she did
not want her enemies too think that she
was afraid.



Ravana begged and importuned her:
"Do not be shy. There is nothing wrong in
accepting me, nothing to be ashamed of. It
is laid down that one should accept the
gifts of God. O beautiful one! I bow my
head at your feet and beg you for your
grace. I am your slave. Forgetting my
greatness and power, I thus beg for your
favor. Never in my life have I bowed in
this way before anyone."



He really thought he could persuade
her and gain her affection.
If one's mind is clear, one can
courageously face any situation. In spite
of her grief, therefore, Sita spoke boldly to
the Rakshasa. She placed a little bit of
grass between Ravana and herself before
answering him.



Boastful words were uttered by Ravana
in sanyasi garb, sitting in front of the fruit
served by her in Panchavati. Imprisoned
Sita now spoke as if in echo of those
words.



"Know who I am. Dasaratha was
famed in all the three worlds and reigned
long years and stood as a bulwark of
dharma and defender of truth. His son
Rama, of godlike presence and lion-like
valor, is my husband. He and his brother
Lakshmana will surely take your life. You
know how Khara and his army were
destroyed in Janasthana by my lord. As
easily as an eagle carries a venomous
serpent, he destroyed your huge army in
Janasthana. Because you have secured a
boon that no god or Asura can kill you,
you have dared to make Rama your
enemy. You think your boon will save
you. But I tell you, you cannot escape.



You will surely meet your death at his
hands. You are, like the goat tied to the
altar-post for sacrifice, doomed to death.
The moment Rama sets his angry eyes on
you, you will meet your fate. My lord will
dry up the sea or bring down the moon, if
necessary, to kill you and redeem me. It is
certain. Your evil deed will bring
destruction on yourself and your kingdom.



My noble lord lived unafraid in the midst
of the Rakshasas in the forest. Like a hero,
he fought and killed the Rakshasas who
encountered him. Like a thief, you stole
me in his absence. But you cannot escape.



Your fate impelled you to this sin because
the hour of your ruin and the destruction
of your race are near. You ask me to
accept you. How foolish! Can the craw
approach the swan? Can a heinous sinner
be allowed near the sacrificial fire? I do
not value life or body. Do you imagine I
would wish to live despised by the world?
Do not dream that out of fear or for saving
my life I shall yield to you."
Having spoken those words, she was
silent.



"Is that so?" said Ravana. "Very well
then, I shall give you twelve months' time.
If you agree to accept me, well and good.
If at the end of that period, you refuse, my
cooks will make meat of your body for
my breakfast."



After warning Sita thus, he gave orders
to the attendant Rakshasis: "You should
break her pride and obstinacy by some
means or other. Put her alone in the Asoka
garden and skillfully use fear and
temptation to bring her to her senses. As
we tame a wild she elephant, you should
train her to submission." And angrily he
went to his palace.



The Rakshasis took Sita to the Asoka
garden. It was a beautiful park attached to
the women's apartments. The trees were
full of flowers and fruits, and beautiful
birds played among them. Here,
surrounded and guarded by terribly ugly
Rakshasis, Sita was kept prisoner.



Though overwhelmed by grief, she had
the faith that Rama and Lakshmana would
somehow discover where she was and
rescue her, that her lord would destroy
Ravana and take her back to a happy life
with him.



Sustained by this faith, she was neither
frightened by threats nor deceived by
temptations. Not for one day, or two, but
for months, Sita suffered thus a close
prisoner in the Asoka garden.



The day was yet far off when the
mighty Hanuman, crossing the sea, would
visit Sita in her sorrow and bring her the
message of hope and love and the
assurance of relief: "Rama loves you
infinitely. He will be here soon. Be not
afraid."



All the women in our land who suffer
sorrow in any way are so many replicas of
Sita. May all the men be like Hanuman,
pure and heroic helpers of such suffering
women! We shall now go to Rama and
Lakshmana.



Next :- 38. RAMA DISCONSOLATE