Sunday 19 January 2014

128. Ravana tempts Seetha with goodies.

               Ravana became very angry on hearing Seetha's repartee. Suppressing his anger, he patronizingly told  
Seetha "As I have already told you, dear lady, I am known as Ravana, with superb complexion. I am the highly valorous and ten-headed stepbrother of Kubera. I am that Ravana at whose sight all the gods together with gandharvas, evil-spirits, birds and snakes will always be frightened and fleeing, as with the people frightened and fleeing from death. I am that Ravana who became infuriated for a certain reason took up a duel with Kubera, his brother from a stepparent, wherein that Kubera was completely trounced. I am that Ravana by whom Kubera, the god for Wealth-Management, was tormented fearfully and made to completely abandon his wealthiest place, and I am the one who made that Kubera to flee to the Mt. Kailash where he is somehow living, because I will not cause any harm on Mt. Kailash as I hold it sacred.
                 "I am that Ravana, oh, auspicious lady, who just by his valour acquired Kubera's auspicious aircraft known as Pushpaka, whose pilotage is just by the wish of its aviator, with which I will be travelling in the skies. The rancorous face of mine, oh, Maithili, will make all the gods quickly shoot off, even if Indra is leading them. Wherever I stay there the Vayu wafts doubtfully, lest his gusts and blasts may hurt me, and the Sun also effectuates his scorching sunbeams as cooling moonbeams, lest I may abduct his wife Prabha, the Sunshine. At places where I stay or freely moving, there the leaves of the trees will be less of rustle, due to the fear that I may wilt them up if they don't, and there the gush of water of rivers too will quieten, lest I may dry them up.
                "My magnificent city known as Lanka is flourishing on the other shore of the ocean, with a plethora of every kind of amenity, as well as with ghastly rakshashas. That city will be on par with Indra's Amaravati, but for the meekly gods and meaningless souls. That gorgeous city is completely walled in with compound walls that are adorned with whitish silver, and its palace chambers are golden, and its archways are fully jeweled with lapis jewels. It is encumbered with elephants, horses and chariots, well sounded by the sounds of trumpets, and with trees which yield fruits that fulfill all the savors, and it is bedecked with chirpy pleasure gardens.
              "Oh, princess, when you come to reside with me you will start feeling that you are far above the human females. 
Ipso facto you will not recollect the humanly Rama, whose longevity is short.
               "Though Rama is the eldest son, king Dasharatha established his dear younger son Bharata as king, and because Rama is spineless he is put to flight to forests. As such he does not deserve to be your husband. Just wash him off.
              "I, the king of all the rakshashas, am hit by the arrows of Manmatha and have come to you with love. It is not appropriate for you to reject me in such a rankling manner.
              "Oh, modest lady, if you reject me then you will surely become remorseful like Uurvashiwho in the first instance kicked Puruurava with her feet.
Comment.
Uurvashi was one of the very well known apsaras, namely, Uurvashi, Rambha, Menaka and Tiolottama. When Vishnu was in His meditation all the other apsaras came to Him to disturb His meditation. Knowing that, Vishnu gave birth to this Uurvashi from his thighs. Thus, she is called the one who came from thighs uuruH 'from thighs...' and this word is defined as uru vaSTi 'muchly, splendorous one...' Then the other apsaras had to accept ashamedly that Uurvashi was a beauty of higher order. Kalidasa took this as his subject for his play 'Vikramorvashiiyam.'
End Comment.            
               "Rama is after all  a human, and as such he stands no chance in an encounter with me. Oh, richly colourful lady, I chanced here merely by your serendipity, and as such it is incumbent on you to honour me and my desire to possess you." 
               Seetha became highly incensed on hearing the nonsense from the sannyasi who now claimed himself to be the rakshasha king Ravana. She scornfully told him with her bloodshot eyes "You claim to be the brother of Kubera, a god reverenced by all other gods. Then how can you stoop shamelessly to commit sins? All the rakshashas will perforce get completely destroyed, oh, Ravana, for whom you the cruel and culpable one with uncontrolled senses is the king, and you will be blameworthy for the elimination of righteous rakshashas like Vibheeshana.
               "It may be possible for you to live after abducting even Shaci Devi, the wife of Indra, somehow. But you will not live long after abducting me, the wife of Rama.
               "Oh, rakshash, it is immaterial for me that you lived long after forcibly snatching many pretty women, but to him who intimidates or abuses me or women like me, there will be no moksha, release from the cycle of rebirth, even if he has consumed Amirtha (=ambrosia)." 
========================================================

No comments:

Post a Comment