216. Hanuman distressed seeing the plight of Seetha.

         Hanuman noticed that Seetha on seeing that rakshash started shaking like a plantain tree in a cyclonic wind. She could not control herself and covering her stomach with thighs and breasts with hands sat down crying.

            Hanuman saw Seetha whose exquisite body was decorated by dirt as ornament. Although she was looking like a lotus stem covered with mud, she was shining. Seetha, a pleasant looking but now emaciated princess,  was crying.
             Seeing Seetha, the loving wife of his lord Rama crying so bitterly, Hanuman himself felt like crying. He thought that  Seetha was looking like a great she-serpent writhing under the spell of an incantation. She was like Rohini being fumigated by a smoke colored planet called Ketu. Being born in a virtuous traditional family with good conduct and character and getting married very suitably, Seetha appeared as if she was born in a bad family.

             Seetha was like fame fallen down due to false blame. She was like education ruined due to lack of learning by heart. Seetha was like a deteriorated great fame, like insulted faith, like an understanding grown feeble, like dulled hope.

           Seetha was like an expectation destroyed, like an order flouted, like a blazing quarter during a period of destruction, like a worship interrupted. Seetha was like a lotus destroyed, like an army of killed warriors, like light destroyed by darkness, like a vanished river. Seetha was like an altar desecrated, like a tongue of fire gone out, like a full moon night with moon devoured by Rahu.

          Seetha was like a lotus pond with torn out leaves and lotuses, being roughly treated by the trunk of an elephant. Grieved for her dear husband, Seetha was like a river which has dried up. She was like a new moon night.

              Seetha, a delicate one with well built limbs, accustomed to affluent houses full of diamonds, was now being tormented by heat, like a lotus fiber uprooted short time back. Seetha was like a she-elephant captured and tied to a pillar, made to be without the leader of the herd, sighing, very much tormented by grief. With a long single plait, shining without effort, Seetha was like the earth with dark groups of trees at the end of rainy season. Emaciated due to fasting, sorrow, and fear, Seetha was just existing with limited food to keep her just alive when Rama comes and releases her. Seetha was like a celestial being, tormented by grief and by thought with joined palms, desiring the defeat of Ravana at the hands of  Rama.

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215. The villain decides to try again.

             Having located Seetha, Hanuman  happily closed his eyes and decided to relax with a nap. Suddenly he heard some sound. He then opened his eyes and ears. He noticed that the day started breaking. His ears recognized the sound as Vedic sounds. He started to wonder who, why etc.
     Well! my dear reader you, too may be wondering about the vedic sound. It was the vedic recital by Brahma Rakshasas well versed in all the six parts of Vedas and those who performed excellent sacrifices.

        Let us keep Hanuman wondering and go and see what the villain of this epic is now up to. Our villain Ravana is called a Rakshash by the author, Maharishi Valmiki. Ravana is said to be the great-grandson of the Lord Brahma - he was Brahma's son's son's son. His mother is said to be a Rakshashi. Then should he not be called 'Brakshash?' 
       Well! That is neither here nor there! Let us continue with the story. You have seen that Ravana was having a jolly good time with a good lot of his beautiful wives with the two score of his great arms and an equal number of lips and great prowess. He was woken by the sounds of the very same various auspicious musical instruments pleasing to the ear. The king of rakshasas with great might woke up at the appropriate hour wearing slippery flower garlands which made him to recollect about his lovemaking with his wives in the last night. He wondered how it would be with Seetha. The all pervading Kamadeva was waiting for this. With a mischievous smile he took his sugarcane bow and flower arrows and hit our villain with all his (I mean Kamadeva's) might. You can well imagine what the result would be!
           Already mad about Seetha, Ravana after being hit by the mighty flower arrow of Manmatha, became extremely excited by an uncontrollable passion, was not able to contain his lust for Seetha. With the result he dressed like a dandy with the most beautiful ornaments in his possession and matching dress and special makeup, entered that Ashoka garden we now are acquainted with.

      That king of Lanka was accompanied by only a hundred women. Nevertheless he looked like Indra followed by divine and Gandharva women. Some of the women were carrying lamps of gold and some others had fans of Palmyra leaves in their hands. Some women carried water in small vessels of gold; some others followed in the back taking pillows with circular ends.

            One woman to the right of Ravana held in her right hand a vessel with gem stones filled with liquor. Another woman following him in the rear was holding an umbrella looking like a royal swan with the radiance of full moon, with a golden handle.
     Ravana was of course dressed like a dandy, but was somewhat carelessly due to the heavy hangover due to the heavy drinking coupled with the massive love making the previous night. Necklaces and armlets were not in the proper places, the sandal-paste on his body seemed effaced in many places, his hair seemed disheveled in all the ten heads, all his ten faces looked sweaty, he was staggering due to the effect of the hangover, the flowers on his body were shrivelled due to perspiration, all his eyes looked intoxicating and bleary. 
          Hanuman was watching Ravana reaching the entrance region. Ravana was wetted by the fragrant oil carried in front him. The many lamps around him carried by some of the women accompanying him  were making him  shine in all directions.
           Hanuman hiding in a branch full of leaves  and flowers watched Ravana with great interest. He noticed that the women accompanying him were all quite young and exquisitely beautiful.
          Hanuman then saw that rakshash approaching Seetha with black hair, charming limbs, well knit breasts and with black corners of eyes, with the intention of making her accept him.

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214. Hanuman sees Seetha surrounded by rakshashis.

            As his tension was released after locating Seetha, Hanuman relaxed and looked up where he noticed the moon with a peaceful rise, with the radiance equaling that of a group of lotuses. That moon with a peaceful glow served Hanuman with cool rays as though soothing him. Hanuman then looked down at Seetha whose face looked like a full moon. She seemed downtrodden by the weight of grief, like a ship sinking down in water due to excess weight.

              Hanuman tried to see Seetha completely but could not because the nearby rakshashis with horrible appearances (some with one eye, some  with a single ear, some with ears as covering, some with conch shell like ears, some with fattened nose up to head, some with lean and long neck, some with disheveled hair and also some without any hair, some with blanket like hair, some with hanging stomach and breasts, some with hanging face, one with lips at chin, one with hanging knees, some short, some tall, a hunch backed one, some who were  distorted, a dwarf one and also one with high teeth and one with crooked mouth, one with green eyes and some  with horrible faces, etc.) were encircling her and preventing a clear vision for Hanuman.

            Hanuman noticed that some of the horrible rakshashis were dark complexioned, some were angry ones, some seemed to like quarrels, some wearing big darts, mallets or clubs of iron, some were with faces like those of pigs, deer, tigers, buffaloes, goats and vixens, some were with feet like those of elephants, camels and horses, some were with heads sunk into bodies, some were with single hand and single foot, some  whose ears were like that of donkeys, horses, cows, elephants or monkeys,  some others without nose, some were with horizontal nose, crooked nose, elephant-like nose and toes with nose fixed in forehead, some were with feet like those of elephant, some were with big feet, some were with feet like that of a cow, some with hair on their feet, some with big heads and necks, some with big nipples and big stomach, some with big eyes and mouths, some with long tongues and nails, some with a face like that of a she-goat, some  with elephant like face, some  with a face like that of a cow,  she-pig,  horse, camel or donkey, some  with horrible appearance carrying pikes and clubs in their hand, angry ones, some who like quarrels, some with high teeth, with hair color like that of smoke, with horrible faces, always drinking liquor, always desiring meat and liquor, some with body smeared by meat and blood, some with meat and blood as food, some whose appearance made hair to stand up, sitting around a great tree with a huge trunk.

           Hanuman saw that the lackluster Seetha was being tormented by grief, with hair covered by dirt, with merits exhausted, like a star fallen from heaven onto the ground. She was rich with the fame of lofty character, poor due to not seeing her husband, lacking excellent ornaments and missing husband's love. Being held captive by Ravana, without any relatives, she was like a she-elephant without herd, being detained by a lion.

                She was like the moon being covered by clouds at the end of the rainy season. Her appearance was lacking luster due to lack of contact with her husband. She also looked like an idle Veena covered by dust. Hanuman saw Seetha whose mind was completely synchronized with her husband, in the custody of the rakshsashis, in the middle of that Ashoka garden, immersed in an ocean of grief. Hanuman saw Seetha there surrounded by those rakshashis, like Rohini with planets and like a creeper without flowers. With body smeared with dirt, Seetha, like a lotus-fiber covered with dirt seemed shining without being actually shining.

              Hanuman saw the most beautiful Seetha with black eyes, covered by a cloth which was creased and dirty, with the eyes of a deer, with a pitiful face, but not depressed due to the brilliance of her husband and protected by her own character. Hanuman became happy on seeing Seetha with the eyes of a fawn and fearful like a she-deer. Hanuman on seeing Seetha looking like the goddess earth, with well defined body parts shining even without ornaments, derived great joy.

               Hanuman on seeing Seetha there with intoxicating eyes shed tears of joy and paid obeisance to Rama and to Lakshmana. He then hid himself  with leaves covering him completely thereby dwindling the possibility of  being located.

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213. Hanuman was hardly able to contain his grief.

        Seeing the pathetic condition of Seetha, the ecstatic Hanuman, became immensely sad with eyes tormented with tears. He thought that "Seetha, the dear daughter of the king Janaka, the daughter-in-law of the great king Dasharatha and the loving wife of the great prince Rama has never known before what grief would be. She is now stricken with grief probably because destiny, which is indeed difficult to understand wants her to know it.
     "Rama is suited to Seetha with matched character, age and conduct. With well matched pedigree and characteristics this black-eyed Seetha is also very well suited to him. It is indeed the destiny which has separated them in this manner."

          He then looked again at Seetha. Despite the dirty apparel she was wearing and her body covered by dirt which she did not bother to wash away, she looked so radiant like a new polished gold. Hanuman thought that she looked no different from the goddess Laksmi, delighting the world. Hanuman mentally thought about Rama and told himself "For the sake of this Seetha, the wide eyed one, Vali of great strength has been killed, Kabanda also equalling Ravana in strength has been felled. In the forest during war Virada of horrible prowess has been killed by Rama by valour, like Sambara by Mahendra. At Janastaana fourteen thousands rakshasas have been killed by his arrows equaling the tongues of fires.

            "Similarly it was by Rama, Khara has been killed, and Trisira has been felled down, as well as Duushana with great glory. Because of her Sugreeva obtained the wealth of vanaras ruled by Vali. For the sake of her, with wide eyes, the ocean, the lord of rivers and streams, have been crossed by me; and this city also has been explored. I think that it will be absolutely fair if Sri Rama, for her sake turns upside down the earth with the ocean at the end, and also the entire universe.
               "Supposing there is a choice between a kingdom and Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, the odds would be ..... well! which fool will opt even for all the three worlds against Seetha?
    While a field was being ploughed she rose up splitting the earth covered by auspicious dust of the field like pollen. She thus becomes the daughter of our mother earth.

            "She is the famed eldest daughter-in-law of the king Dasharatha the valorous one, not turning back in the battle. This dear wife of Rama the righteous one, grateful one, knower of self, has the misfortune to be under the control of these rakshasis.
         "This Seetha, due to her great love for her husband, abandoning all comforts and not thinking about sorrows, entering forest sparsely populated with humans, being happy with fruits and roots, devoted to the service of her husband, even in the forest and getting great happiness like in a palace, the one with golden limbs, always with a smiling talk, is definitely not suited to misfortunes, is now bearing all this suffering.
          "Without his dear wife Seetha, it must be a very impossible task for Sri Rama to keep his life in his body and not getting depressed by sorrow. Knowing her with black ended hairs, with lotus like eyes, deserving all comforts, is in such a sorrow state, I feel terribly dejected and gloomy.
            "Like a beautiful lotus plant lost its glory due to a heavy snow covering it, being tormented by a series of calamities, Seetha is now pushed to this pitiable condition like a chakravaka bird without a companion. Ashoka trees with bent branches due to flowers are increasing her gloom. The rising moon with thousands of rays is also adding more grief."
         Hanuman was now positive that the lady he saw was indeed Seetha without any doubt.

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212. Eureka, Eureka, Eureka.

          Sitting comfortably on the branch of the shimshupaa tree, Hanuman started looking for Seetha, observing carefully all the land around and the garden.
        Hanuman noticed  in that Ashoka garden, a little away from the tree he was sitting, a lofty temple filled with fragrances like a second Gandhamadana Mountain, standing by a thousand pillars, white like Mount Kailaasa with stairs made of corals with platforms made of refined gold as though radiant with glory, clear and tall as though scraping the sky.
          Then he started to examine carefully every inch (sorry! I mean centimeter) of the ground, particularly the ground below every tree, huge or small. Then he cried "Hey! look at there!" within himself. The reason for his silent exclamation was Hanuman saw Seetha (he was not sure at that moment) wearing a soiled garment, surrounded by rakshasasis, emaciated due to fasting, looking miserable, sighing again and again, like the pure crescent moon at the beginning of a bright fortnight. Covered by a single but very lovely yellow coloured cloth, which was wrinkled, without any decorations like a lotus plant without lotuses, and together with mud. Bashful, tortured by sorrow, worn out in a pitiable condition like the constellation Rohini, pressed by the planet mars. With a face full of tears in a pitiable condition, emaciated due to not taking food, immersed in thought with gloom, always in a pitiable state, surrendering to sorrow. Not seeing dear people, but seeing groups of rakshashis, she looked like a female deer loosing her own herd surrounded by a group of hounds.
      Looking carefully that beautiful lady with wide eyes, very untidy, emaciated, Hanuman concluded that the miserable but beautiful looking lady must be Seetha.
      Hanuman wanted to be doubly, nay infinitely sure that this woeful and pathetic lady was indeed Seetha. He, therefore started to rationalize. He looked for and noticed that the jewellery of Seetha on her various parts Rama spoke of, those charming her limbs, well made earrings, well fitting other ornaments wonderful with diamonds on her limbs for long time, blackened and making marks on the body. The very same ornaments described by Rama were found shining and hanging in the branches of the tree.

          Hanuman examined carefully the cloth worn by that lady. This cloth being worn for a long time had worn out a lot, but Hanuman was totally convinced that it was of the same colour of the other upper garment with which her ornaments were tied and dropped at Kishkindha, while being carried away by that rakshash Ravana. Hanuman was then totally convinced that this lady of golden colour was indeed Rama's dear wife, Seetha the chaste one.
         Hanuman then became ecstatic for finding Seetha and went by mind to Rama and praised that Lord.

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211. Hanuman starts his search in the Ashoka grove.

            On reaching the Ashoka grove, Hanuman with a joyful mood, climbed on the enclosure wall saw various trees such as Sal, beautiful Ashoka, Champaka full of flowers, Uddalaka, Naga and mango trees with their fruit in the colour of the snout of a monkey, in full blossom at the start of the spring. Hanuman then flew like an iron arrow released from the bow string, toward the garden covered by mango trees which were surrounded by hundreds of creepers. He noted that garden was filled with happy humans, animals and birds with varied hues.
               Hanuman looked carefully for Seetha.
             Trees hit by the wings of groups of birds in flight shed showers of flowers of various colours and of various kinds. The son of Lord Vayu, Hanuman sprinkled with flowers shone like a mountain of flowers in the middle of that Ashoka garden. Seeing Hanuman running here and there and in the middle of trees, all living creatures took him to be Vasanta, the lord of spring, himself in disguise.
           There the Earth sprinkled by flowers of various kinds which fell down from trees shone like a well decorated woman. Then those trees, shaken by the might of Hanuman, showered wonderful flowers. The trees with their branches, which lost their leaves with fallen down fruits and flowers looked like defeated gamblers with their clothes and jewelry kept down. Some lovely trees shining with delightful and cute flowers fell down instantly flowers, leaves and fruits. Hit by Hanuman's tail, hands and feet, the Ashoka garden with broken trees looked like a young woman with disturbed hair, with effaced sandal paste, with a couple of broken front teeth, with her lips looking somewhat mutilated and wounded by nails and teeth.
             Hanuman broke circles of great creepers by his might like the wind during rainy season, breaking the groups of clouds of mountain Vindhya. Hanuman pacing there (i.e. the Ashoka grove) saw diamond studded floors, silver inlaid floors, and beautiful gold inlaid floors. He saw ponds filled with pure and crystal-clear water and the steps thereof  embedded with top quality diamonds, pearls and corals, with bottoms made of crystal and precious stones. There were trees of golden and  other wonderful hues at the banks containing beds of lotuses in full blossom and also lilies. The entire grove was resounded by chakravaka birds, sounded by water fowls, resounded by swans and cranes, together with tall trees, with nectar like waters, with hundreds of auspicious creepers, covered by the flowers of santaana trees, surrounded by various shrubs with middle regions of karaveera and also wells in various shapes.

           Hanuman saw there a mountain with high peaks looking extremely beautiful. The wonderful peaks thereof surrounded in all directions by peaks and caves and covered by different trees.

           Hanuman saw a river flowing down from the mountain like a beloved (young wife) who fell down after jumping from the lap of a loved one, shone by trees whose ends fell down in water. Sometimes it looked like a woman in anger being detained by her near and dear. Hanuman saw near that mountain, lotus ponds together with many groups of birds.

            He also saw an artificial pond filled with cold water, with steps embedded with lovely diamonds, shone by the sand of pearls, a wonderful forest with lofty buildings created by Vishwakarma, with groups of well decorated artificial trees. All the trees there without any exception had big platforms and also with a smaller golden platform. He saw one shimshupaa tree golden in colour covered with many groups of creepers with many leaves surrounded everywhere with platforms made of gold. He saw lands, mountain springs, and some other golden trees looking like fire.
         Hanuman climbing up that beautiful shimshupaa tree with well flowered ends, mature with young shoots and leaves and covered by leaves and perched comfortably on one of its branches. Then he speculated "I hope that this time, by God's grace, I will find Seetha here. She is very likely to be in great grief. This Ashoka garden of the evil-souled Ravana is definitely beautiful. It is well decorated by Champaka, sandal and Vakula trees. This pond served by groups of birds is beautiful, too. May be the wife of Sri Rama definitely will come to this pond. Used to living in gardens, she definitely will come to this garden. I was given to understand that the beloved wife of Sri Rama, earlier was always  interested in the denizens of gardens. The ever youthful one with a lovely complexion, Seetha interested in the rites of Sandhya time will definitely come to this river with the auspicious water for Sandhya rite. That Devi with the face like that of the moon, if alive, will definitely come to this river with auspicious water."

          Hanuman well concealed in the mass of well flowered leaves saw everything and observed everywhere.

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210. Hanuman decided to try at Ashoka grove.

       Hanuman searched again here and there but he could not find Seetha. He was at the end of his tether. He ruminated "What the heck! I believe I have searched this city of Lanka thoroughly; but there is no trace of Seetha. Where that lousy chap Ravana would have or could have hid her? Fearing Rama, has he shifted Seetha somewhere else? Or finding her adamant and not agreeing to his wishes, has he killed her? Or has the austere Seetha been eaten by this Ravana, the evil minded one, while she was protecting her chastity without any relatives near her. Otherwise not being evil with black eyes, she may have been eaten by the wives of Ravana with evil thoughts.

           "How can I go back to Sugreeva without seeing Seetha? My crossing  the ocean and entering the city of Lanka seems to have become futile. How can I face Sugreeva or Vanaras there or those sons of Dasharatha? If I report Rama that his dear wife could not be found by me, then he surely will give up his life. And then Lakshmana will follow him.
          "Hearing the news of the death of his brothers, Bharata also will die. Seeing the dead Bharata, Shatrughana also will cease to exist. Thereafter seeing sons dead the mothers Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi will cease to live - there is no doubt. Grateful Sugreeva, the leader of Vanaras, seeing Rama die in that way will give up his life, too. Tara also will not exist then. Then Angada and all other vanaras will follow.
            "The total extinction  of Ikshvaaku dynasty and the extirpation of Vanaras will generate a terrible wail. Nooo. I will not go back to the Kishkindha city. I cannot see Sugreeva without an auspicious information about Seetha. If I do not go back to Kishkindha then those virtuous and great warriors Rama and Lakshmana will live on hope. Vanaras who are agile will also  live. Without seeing Seetha, subsisting on whatever falls on hand, whatever comes to mouth and with self-restraint I will like a hermit live on fruits, vegetables and herbs at a region near ocean which has many roots, fruits and much water.

             Or I will kill myself by making a funeral pile and jump into it or sit fasting onto death and my body will be eaten by crows and by beasts of prey. This way of giving up body has been adopted by sages. Or I will kill myself by drowning in a lot of water. My not locating Seetha will surely cause  my garland of glory of long time with a strong foundation, beautiful one together with fame will be destroyed. I will become a hermit who is self restrained resorting to trees and herbs. If I go back from here without a good news about Seetha, there will not be Angada together with all those Vanaras. O! dear God! My imagination is running riot! There are lots of blemishes in dying; one who is alive sees auspicious things. For that reason I think I will keep my life. Let me think hard the next best course of action."

       Hanuman could not control his mind. He continued to think "Shall I kill Ravana? Whatever happened to the stolen Seetha, this will be revenge to that. Otherwise carrying this Ravana over the surface of ocean I will take him to Rama like an animal to the lord of animals."

         Discording it as a bad idea Hanuman dropped it and continued to ponder "I have a gut feeling that Seetha is somewhere here in Lanka. I will search the city of Lanka again and again till I find her."
         Suddenly he thought of something and cried softly "Hey! stupid me! That bird chap Saampaati mentioned about seeing Seetha in a garden! Didn't he? YES! HE DID. Where that garden would be?"  He then looked around and saw the Ashoka garden yonder with great trees. Then he said softly to himself "May be this is the one Saampaati saw. I have not  searched this. Let me try there."
          After praying Rama, Lakshmana and gods Rudra and others, Hanuman started sauntering towards the Ashoka grove. He thought "I am sure that the Ashoka garden definitely will be with many rakshasas, filled with trees, adorned with various cultures and sacred. Guards must be protecting the trees, omnipresent Lord Vayu, I guess will be blowing by without force. And me make my body small for the sake of Sri Rama and to avoid Ravana. I pray Devas together with ascetics, the self born Brahma, Agni, Devendra wearing the weapon of Vajra  Varuna and  Yama with Pasha in hand and also the Sun and the moon and the aswinis to make my this endeavor a success.

            "The great ones Maruts and Eshwara may bless my success. Whoever is the lord of all living creatures may give success to me. When will I see that noble face with a high nose, with white teeth without any injuries with a bright smile, with eyes resembling lotus petals with sight resembling the splendor of clear full moon? How that powerless Seetha, a helpless and hapless  one, forcefully taken away by that mean vile brute named Ravana with a cruel action and with a horribly decorated form, will look when my sight falls on her today."

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209. Hanuman became depressed.

           Hanuman determined to find Seetha,  went towards the houses made of plant creepers, art houses, and nocturnal houses but did not see her. He then pondered "With the best of my efforts I could not locate Seetha. It looks that she is no more. She must have been killed by the king of these Rakshasas who performs such evil deeds without any second thought. He must have killed her in a fury as she did not agree to his wish. May be that daughter of the King Janaka died of fear. 
          "Without seeing Seetha, I do not have any face to go near Sugreeva. All the inner city have been seen. Women of Ravana have been seen. But no dice so far. How can I face the other vanaras and Jambavan?
         "They say that non-depression is the root of development. Absence of despondency is the greatest comfort. Self reliance always is indeed the promoter in all matters. Whatever action one does that action is made to be successful by non-depression. For that reason I will continue my effort together with non-depression. I will search all those regions ruled by Ravana not yet seen by me. Bars have been searched; in the same way flower houses, art houses have been searched, and pleasure houses, pathways in the middle of gardens, buildings in all directions have been searched."

          Thus thinking Hanuman continued his search in undergrounds, houses at the beginning of street intersections and also small houses faraway from the main houses.
         He searched streets between fort walls, platforms together with the intersection of four streets, wells and lakes. Rakshasa women of various forms, with crooked forms and horrific forms were seen in these places but not that Seetha. Vidhyadhara women incomparable by beauty in the world had been seen there by Hanuman, but not Seetha. Naaga women with beautiful buttocks, with faces looking like full moon had been seen by Hanuman there, but not Seetha. Naaga women who had been stolen forcefully, were seen there by Hanuman, but not that Seetha.

          Hanuman reached the end of his tether. He became absolutely DEPRESSED.

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208. Hanuman realized his mistake.

         Hanuman suddenly  felt that something hit him, not physically but mentally. Someone seemed to tell him 'Hey! Stupid, See her again carefully.' Then he thought "How Seetha could be here, that too sleeping so peacefully?" Then he concluded that beautiful woman was not Seetha.
        Then he continued his search for Seetha. He saw some women were tired from erotic dalliance and then some other women were tired from singing; some others were weary from dance and were unconscious from consumption of liquor, some women were stationed on tabors, some on Mrudangas, some on seats and some other women rested on chief carpets. Some women decorated by jewellery with a strong penchant for talking discussed about beauty, arguing about the correct meaning of songs being sung, about behaving according to time and place, about  speaking appropriate words etc. Some indulged in sleep after sexual dalliance. In the middle of that group of women, Ravana with great arms shone like a bull in the middle of cows in a big cow-pen.

       Ravana surrounded by those women, shone like a great elephant surrounded by she elephants in a great forest. Hanuman noticed in that wealthy house a bar, too, containing all kinds of drinks. There were meat of deer, buffalo and wild boar kept separately. Hanuman saw half eaten peacocks and chicken in wide vessels of golden colour. He observed meat of pigs and goats, porcupines, deer and peacocks preserved in curds and salt.
            Hanuman saw birds called Krakara cooked ready to be eaten in a variety of ways, birds called Chakoras half eaten, wild buffalos, fishes called ekashleya, goats, food to be licked of various kinds, beverages and various other foods. In the same way that floor was obtaining glory greatly with meat and other food seasoned with condiments and/or  with sour and salty sauces, with necklaces, anklets and armlets of great value thrown around, with various fruits left in drinking vessels, with flowers sprinkled. That bar was seen as though radiant without fire, with couches and chairs well arranged and placed there. Many kinds of meat cultured with various seasonings, well arranged separately were displayed in that bar. Excellent and clear various liquors, including the one called Sura, and liquor made of sugar, liquor made of honey, liquor made of flowers and liquors made of fruits and artificially made liquors were also displayed there.
          Hanuman found there a lot of top-class quality liquors in pots of silver and of golden colour. Vessels full of liquor of golden colour, embedded with gem stones and also of silver hue were also displayed there. There were pots of drinks half filled and at some places completely drunk and some places not at all drunk.
             Hanuman paced about seeing at some places various eatables and at some places drinks separately, and at some places remnants of cooked rice, some places with vessels broken, some places with pots in shambles, some places with water together with flower garlands and fruits.

             There were couches in which some women were sleeping; some varied and clean, some decent women slept there hugging one another. Some women conquered by the power of sleep pulled other sleeping women's clothing and slept covering themselves with that. Clothing and garland on the throats of those women were moving slightly and wonderfully as though enjoying the air from the air of breath. There wind blew in different directions carrying a variety of fragrances like cool sandal-paste, sweet liquor, various flower garlands and various kinds of pleasant fumes. Then the blossoming fragrance from the baths and sandal paste and from other delightful fumes blew spreading all around there. There in that Ravana's house, some women had fair and white complexion some enchanting women were black and some women had a body of golden complexion. Appearance of those sleeping women, tired from being possessed by sleep and from lust, was like lotuses sleeping. Hanuman searched the entire Ravana's house completely but did not see Seetha.

         Hanuman found there girls from the lands of devas, gandharvas and nagas but did not see Janaki. After thinking hard again, Hanuman felt that Seetha should be there amid women. He then decided to search more thoroughly other places he had not visited.

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207. Hanuman intensifies his search of Ravana's house.

                      Hanuman then looked around and saw a portion of the house contained couches so beautiful like those in heaven, made of crystal, decorated with diamonds with wonderful parts made of ivory and gold and covered with superb looking beds made of cat's eye gems of immense value. Hanuman saw in that room an umbrella white in colour decorated with exquisite flower garlands and resembling moon - the lord of stars. Hanuman also saw a particularly excellent couch made of gold with the radiance  of fire, spread by garlands of Ashoka flowers. Fanned by women with fans in their hands in all the four directions the various  fragrances  obtained by  fumigating  the top quality incenses. It was covered by an excellent bed spread by sheep skin everywhere and shone by rows of excellent garlands. Hanuman saw Ravana there, looing like a cloud, wearing earrings with a brilliant shine with red eyes and with long arms wearing gold clothes. With his body smeared with red sandal-wood, with good fragrance like a cloud in the red sky at sunset, together with groups of lightening. Ravana was filled with excellent jewelry, with a good appearance, with an ability to assume desired form, resembling mount Mandara in sleep together with groups of trees and bushes.  Bedecked with the  finest ornaments he was resting after enjoying a pleasant at night with his lovely wives. Hanuman saw the gallant king of rakshasas in sleep on a shining couch. He cautiously neared Ravana to have a good look at him. After seeing the lord of Lanka, Hanuman became very gloomy and moved away with great dread, as though from a hissing serpent. Thereafter Hanuman went to the staircase, and on second thoughts sat on a step of the staircase and looked at Ravana again. The excellent couch of the sleeping Ravana shone like a great lake when a scented elephant resides in it. Ravana's arms tied with golden armlets thrown apart resembling flag staffs raised in honour of Indra. 
Those arms had wounds made by the stabbings from the pointed edges of the tusks of Iraavata and his fleshy shoulders smeared with diamond and hit by Vishnu chakra. These arms of Ravana were opulent with well grown and equally strong shoulders proportionate to his body, with knees and thumbs of good characteristics, with good fingers and palms. With strong joints in the shape of a club, round in shape resembling the trunks of an elephant  and looked like five headed snakes thrown on a clean couch. Shoulders well smeared by the top quality sandal with excellent fragrance and very cool resembling a hare's blood, well decorated, massaged by the women well trained in that respect, served by the top quality sandal which made yakshas, nagas, gandharvas, devas and daanavaas jealous. Hanuman saw Ravana's arms on the couch looking like great serpents in anger sleeping in the middle of the mount Mandara. That great asura  looked like a mountain with his massive shoulders, which were well built and shone like Mount Mandara with twin peaks. The breath came out of the remarkable faces (I mean noses) of that king of Rakshasas who was sleeping, had varied fragrances like that of flowers of chuuta, punnaaga and Vakula, cooked rice, the smell of liquor etc. Hanuman noticed that the the gigantic king of rakshashas with loving wives, who were sleeping at the feet of their loving husband, shone with crown tilted to the side, having strange hue with pearls and diamonds and of golden colour, with faces made brilliant by earrings, shone with the chest region smeared with red sandal shining with a necklace wide, high and opulent, tied with a silk cloth of white colour falling on him, with eyes reddish like blood, well dressed by a finest cloth of yellow colour and of very top quality, resembling a heap of black beans, snoring like a hiss of a python, like an elephant sleeping in the middle of water belonging to the great river Ganga with all the four directions shone by the four lamps of golden colour, resembling a cloud with all the parts being shone by groups of lighting. The élite Vanara, Hanuman saw those wives of Ravana with faces the radiance of moon, adorned with beautiful earrings, wearing jewelry and flower garlands which were not worn out. Hanuman also noticed that the wives of Ravana with skill in dance and musical instruments who managed to reach the shoulders of the sleeping Ravana wearing the elegant jewelry, slept there peacefully. The earrings of those women at the end of ears embedded with diamonds and cats eye gems were shining. The faces of those women with such delicate and lovely earrings looked like the moon and that place shone like the sky with clusters of stars. The women of Ravana being tired from lustful passion and exertion slept peacefully. Another woman with skill in dancing and with a delicate body postures slept in the same way with all her body parts making the same dance postures. One woman hugging veena and sleeping was shining like a lotus plant thrown away by the flow of a great river and resorting a boat. Another woman with black eyes sleeping with an instrument called madduka under arm pit shone like a woman carrying an infant boy with love. A woman with a beautiful body features with beautiful breasts slept hugging tightly the instrument called pataha as though hugging a lover whom she met after a long time. Another woman with lotus like eyes hugging a flute slept like a woman with lust holding her lover in secret. Another woman skilled in dance was sleeping with an instrument like veena and being in tune with it like a woman together with her lover. Another woman with lusty eyes slept hugging a percussion instrument called mridanga with her body parts which were pleasant and resembled gold and which were smooth and fleshy. Another woman with thin stomach slept due to tiresomeness from lust together with an instrument called Padama between her shoulders and reaching arm pits. Another woman with an instrument called Dindinma near her slept in the same way as a woman hugging her husband and also her child. Another woman with eyes like lotus petals slept with the instrument called adambara pressing it by her shoulders being desired by lust. Another woman sleeping  shone like a flower garland with the flowers of strange hue made auspicious in spring. Another woman slept hugging her breasts resembling golden pots by her hands overcome with sleep. Another woman with eyes like lotus petals, with her face resembling full moon, overcome with lust slept hugging another woman with a beautiful hip region. Some excellent women slept hugging strange instruments and pressing them with breasts as though a lustful woman with her lusty hubby. 
        Bored by such sights Hanuman looked around and exclaimed softly to himself "Hey! Look at that lady! Lucky fellow! You got what you are searching for!".  This was due to the fact that he saw among those women a very beautiful woman sleeping on an auspicious couch arranged alone at a side. It was Mandodari, but Hanuman did not know Mandodari. She looked extremely beautiful  which was enhanced by the beautiful jewelry of diamonds and pearls worn by her. Hanuman thought that she would be as beautiful as she was now even without any ornaments. Hanuman thought that her radiance seemed decorating that great building. Hanuman   concluded that that sleeping beauty was Seetha. He was delighted by his finding. He clasped his arms, kissed his tail; he was thrilled; he was jubilant; sang, paced joyously; climbed pillars and fell down on land. He simply could not contain his joy.

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206. Hanuman explores the personal buildings of Ravana.

        Hanuman then shook himself and with a great effort took his gaze away from that wonderful viman. The son of Vayu looked around and saw a beautiful tall building and a wide one in the middle of that splendiferous group of houses. That building of Ravana filled with many edifices was about an half Yojana long and one Yojana tall. Hanuman, then moved over there looking for Seetha.  He then noticed a lovely building which Hanuman correctly presumed as the house of Ravana. Near that house there were elephants with four tusks. Then he noticed that there were elephants with three tusks, and  with two tusks, too. They were positioned so orderly in such a manner they did not look crowded. It was protected by soldiers bearing raised weapons. That building housed Ravana's numerous wives (rakshashis and princesses) brought and married  by him, was like an ocean filled with crocodiles, big fishes, sharks and other fishes.    It looked that Ravana's wealth was not in anyway less than that of Kubera or Indra. 

      Hanuman then saw another house in the middle of that cluster of houses, a well built one consisting of many elephants in rut.
      Hanuman then smelled a wonderful sweet fragrance in the wind obviously  from drinks and foods, including cooked rice. That sweet smell seemed to beckon Hanuman to taste the drinks and eats like one relative to his very close relative. Hanuman guessed that the feast must be for Ravana and he started to move in that direction. There he saw an auspicious great hall like a delightfully marvellous woman. That hall was made of stairways embedded with diamonds, decorated with golden windows, with a floor embellished with crystals, with shapes made from ivory in the middle. Well decorated with pearls, corals, silver and gold the pillars were studded with lovely diamonds. Covered by a wonderful large carpet with all the earth's characteristics like rivers, mountains, oceans, forests, etc. painted over, that hall looked like the vast earth together with states and rows of houses. It was resounded by birds in heat, made fragrant by excellent perfumes, hung with most beautiful tapestries.  It was made smokey by the fumes of agallochum. It was a pure one, white like a swan, wonderful by the decoration of flowers, like a divine cow with a great radiance. That excellent hall was causing happiness to heart, destroying sorrow and was as though producing prosperity. Like a mother, that hall seemed to cause satisfaction to all the five sensory organs with all the five excellent objects of the senses.

          Hanuman heaved a sigh and murmured "This is heaven! This is indeed the abode of Devas! This is a city of Indra. This must be the result of a great austerity." Seeing the golden hued lamps being still, as though in thought Hanuman pondered "This building shines not only by the light of the lamps and due to the radiance of the jewellery but also due to the brilliance of Ravana."

      Thereafter on further prying, Hanuman saw a thousand tempting, appealing, attractive etc. women slouching on the rug with clothing of various colours and decorated in a variety of ways. Then towards midnight, those women started to sleep after playing and drinking liquor during night. That sleeping group of women, adorned with jewels which were not making any sound, shone like a great park of lotuses with calm swans and bees. Hanuman saw the faces of those beautiful women, with teeth covered by their lovely lips with closed eyes and with lotus fragrance. At that time, those faces shone like lotuses in blossom during day time now at night looked like lotuses with closed petals. That hall of Ravana shone by those women, glittered like a calm cloudless sky in autumn shone by stars. That lord of Rakshasas surrounded by those women shone like the radiant moon surrounded by stars. Seeing that Hanuman thought "Oh! It seems that all the meteors have fallen down from the sky and have become these women". The luster, complexion and grace of those women clearly resembled great stars which emitted an auspicious radiance. Some of those women with large, thick and disheveled   garlands and their excellent jewels scattered during the time of drinking, dancing etc., looked sleepy. Some others wearing nice earrings with flower garlands that were torn and disturbed, resembled creepers, tread upon by an elephant in a big forest. Big pearl necklaces with the radiance of moon-rays in the middle of breasts of some other women shone like sleeping swans. And of some other women, necklaces made with cat's eye gems resembled birds called Kadambas and for some others golden chains were like Chakravaka birds. Those women with buttocks resembling sand dunes, shone like rivers filled with swans and birds called Karandas and decorated by Chakravaka birds. Those sleeping women shone like rivers with their smiles as flower buds, with golden jewellery as big lotuses.              Auspicious lines of decoration which were on the smooth parts of some other women and on nipples, were like jewellery. Edges of clothing worn by them disturbed by the air from the breathing of some neighboring women, were being fluttered again and again on their faces. Those edges of clothes with various beautiful colours, shone at the base of Ravana's wives' throats like hoisted flags of beautiful shine. Here ear-rings of some beautiful women with a good glory, also moved lightly due to the air from breathing of those women.  Some women of Ravana smelled co-wives' faces again and again imagining them to be one of the faces of Ravana. Those cute women with greatly devoted mind in Ravana, then not being on own will, brought delight only to their co-wives. Some other women slept there, making as pillows their arms decorated with bracelets and beautiful clothes. One woman slept on another's bosom, another woman slept on her shoulder, another woman slept on another woman's thigh and another slept on her breasts. Overcome with heat and friendship, they resorted to thighs, sides, waist and back of one another, with mutual limbs placed on one another. The garlands of women tied with the rope of each other's shoulders shone like a flower garland with dragon flies on it tied in thread. That group of women of Ravana, tied with each other as garland with mixed group of flowers, with beautiful shoulders entwined promiscuously, looked like an exalted garden with a flower garland tied together of creepers in bloom due to the caress of the lord of wind in the vernal in the month of Vaisakha, with entwined beautiful trees. Then it was not possible to make clear the knowledge of jewellery, body parts and clothes of those women even for those used to them. While Ravana slept comfortably, golden lamps shining brilliant, were as though seeing without closing eyes, those women of various glows. There were women of royal sages, brahmanas and rakshashis and of Gandharvas, of Rakshasas - all those unmarried girls surrendered from lust to Ravana. All those women had been collected by Ravana by various means, both honourable and sneaky. However, none of those beauties was acquired by Ravana without her consent. The solitary exception was Seetha, but she was not there. Curiously all the women there were most willing to be captured by Ravana and all of them loved Ravana. There was no woman who had desire in another man, and none of them had any lover before becoming a spouse of Ravana. And there was no wife of his without a good lineage, there was no one with less beauty, no one without any skill, no one without service, none with low intellect and no one without causing desire to lover.

        Hanuman wondered "It would have been good for this Ravana if the virtuous wife of Rama had been left happy with her husband in the same manner as these wives of the king of rakshasas." Hanuman became gloomy and thought  "Seetha is definitely the best by virtues; then this lord of Lanka even though being great otherwise, did an evil and an un-gentlemanly deed with her."

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205. Hanuman is mesmerized by the Pushpaka Viman.

       Despite his melancholy  Hanuman was awfully attracted by that awesome Pushpaka Viman  standing in the middle of that building with a surprising hue due to diamonds and gems decorated by series of refined gold. That plane shone like the symbol for the solar path standing in the aerial path prevailing in the sky. Crafted by Vishvakarma himself, who was very proud of that one and all praised that as one without comparison in splendor. In that plane there was not even a small thing that was not made with great effort and care. Stones employed for the articles in that plane were top quality diamonds and other stones. In that Viman there was nothing that was not of great significance. Things in it had been obtained by austerities and by prowess. One that moves about by thoughts of concentrated mind, made from various significant parts with an appearance of parts of equal significance, collected from here and there from all over all the worlds. The construction was conceived and undertook as a special object, like a mountain with wonderful peaks adorned by many peaks, attractive to soul, calm like an autumnal moon, like the majestic  peak of a mountain with other wonderful small peaks.
          Whatever in that wonderful aeroplane by the name of Pushpaka, decorated with all kinds of precious stones, made by Visvakarma in heaven for lord Brahma. Kubera obtained it by great austerity from Lord Brahma and Ravana usurped it  by defeating Kubera.

         For a long moment Hanuman, forgetting why he was there was gaping at that Viman in wonder.

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204. Hanuman continues his exploration .

            Hanuman then noticed a group of houses with windows in golden hue, embedded with cat's-eye gems, like a great group of clouds in rainy season with lightning, together with a group of birds. He noticed the halls of the houses storing conches, bows and many other weapons. He saw spacious attics at the top of  the mountain like houses. He saw those houses were glittering  by various riches, well worshipped by Devas and Asuras. He saw those houses of the ruler of Lanka constructed by great effort by experts.

         Hanuman found the magnificent house of the lord of rakshasas was looking like a cloud, soul-captivating one having a beautiful form made of gold which has no comparison. The son of Vayu, Hanuman felt Ravana's house like heaven thrown upon earth, effulgent with glory, embedded with a variety of diamonds covered by flowers of various trees, like the summit of a mountain covered by pollen. He found that house like a beautiful cloud endowed with many hues, like the sky illumined by planets including the moon, decked with numerous precious stones like a mountain peak, looking picturesque with numerous minerals. 

         Hanuman then saw a great aerial car shining with the name of Pushpaka with the rays of precious stones, and capable of traveling long distances. There he saw artificial birds made of cat's-eye gems, as well as birds made of silver and coral, wonderful serpents made of various jewels, horses of beautiful limbs suitable for their noble breed were arranged. Birds were made with corals on their wings and together with golden flowers, with curved and bent wings in a playful way, shining like helpers of the god of love himself. Images of elephants in a lotus-pool with filaments of lotus on body, with lotus petals held in their trunks, were devoted to the worship of an image of Goddess Lakshmi. And also an image of Goddess Lakshmi with four graceful hands and holding lotus in one of Her hands was found installed in that Pushpaka Viman.
       Hanuman was thrilled to see everything there but at the same same time he felt very gloomy for not not able to locate Seetha. 

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