Sunday 5 January 2014

123. Maareecha forced to agree.

                 After saying what he wanted to, Maareecha looked at Ravana who was quite nonchalant and arrogant in his demeanor. As his efforts to persuade Ravana did not have any effect, Maareecha meekly murmured "Okay! Let's go". Then on an afterthought he told Ravana "If the great Rama who has spared my life twice before, happens to see me again, I deem my life is verily lost, even before he starts shooting any arrow. To all intents and purposes I was totally subdued and virtually killed by that great prince. What is appearing before you is the reflected image of mine, as I am already slain by the wand of Yama, the moment I conceded to your demand. When you are so spiteful, my lad, indeed what can I possibly do otherwise. Hence thither we go. May good betide you." 
                Ravana was very happy that Maareecha agreed to do what he wanted him to. He hugged him (i.e. Maareecha) and said "I am very happy that at last you have agreed to help me. Now you are really the good old Maareecha.
               "Now quickly emplane this sky-flying chariot which is yoked with ghost-faced mules and adorned with gems. You may go wherever you want to after I get hold of that Seetha."
                Both Ravana and Maareecha got into the aircraft like chariot and started. On reaching the Dandaka forest they located the hermitage of Rama. Getting down from the chariot Ravana taking Maareecha's  hand into his and told him "The hermitage of Rama is that one which we are seeing and which is surrounded with banana plants. Now, let us start executing our plan." 
               Maareecha nodded and then adopting the form of a gorgeous Golden Deer which was superbly amazing just by its appearance, whose tips of antlers were in the hue of best sapphires, and whose face was whitish at some places and not so whitish at others, started rambling the frontage of the hermitage. One of its cheeks was in the shade of a reddish-lotus while the other in the hue of a bluish-lotus, one of its ears was in the hue of bloomed blue-lotus while the other was in the shade of a sapphire, while the shine of its stomach was like that of a best blue-diamond, and with a little upraised neck that deer was moving about there.
               One flank was shining whitish like Madhuka flowers and the other was similar to the roseate fibrils of lotuses, while its hooves were similar to the gemstone lapis, calves thin, and thus with very well cohered limbs that deer moved about there. With an upraised tail that shone forth in a tinge equal to the weapon of Indra, namely Rainbow, and with a complexion that was lustrous and dappled with many diverse gemlike dapples, that deer moved thereabout with a heart-stealing aura. Thus that rakshash Maareecha emerged as a highly splendorous and fascinating deer highly irradiating those woodlands, and the threshold of Rama's hermitage in particular.
                Adopting such an exquisite and heartening form which was amazingly dappled with the colours of diverse ores, that rakshash ambled all over there freely with the bearing of a real deer, and he moved forward onto the pastures, but within the visible distance from the hermitage of Rama. And with hundreds of silvery stipples of body he became an astonishing deer with pleasant looks and indeed moved chewing new grass-blades of trees. That Golden Deer had gone into the boskage of banana plants, and moved here and there around Karnikara trees. He always moved around ensuring that he was always within the eyeshot of Seetha.
                   With an odd lotus like hind-side that astounding deer was verily scintillating, and it milled around the surroundings in the threshold of Rama's hermitage according to its own delight.
                   That excellent deer was going out of sight for a moment and again returning, and meandered thus time and again, and turning its tail for sometime only to return once again very playfully.
                   Again gambolling everywhere and sat somewhere on the ground, then, on coming to the threshold of the hermitage he was going towards the herds of deer. That rakshash who turned into the deer-hood had gone after some herd of deer. But he returned again though that herd followed him wanting to fraternize, in order that he shall remain perceptible to Seetha, and he was spinning like a whirligig in amusing circles while leaping and bounding to and from that herd of deer.
                   All the other animals moving in that forest on seeing this demon-deer with their necks up have come close to it, and on smelling it well they were running away to all the eight directions recognizing it as a rakshash in the guise of a deer.
                Maareecha who loved to eat freshly killed deer contained his craving with great difficulty. And he patted himself (presumably with the tail) for his restraint for the reason that Vaidehi with her felicitous eyes came towards the trees for getting some flowers. And she with her inebriating glances and delightful visage moved there about while plucking flowers of Karnikaara, Ashoka etc. trees. That goddess like lady Seetha who was not quite used to the forest life beheld that deer which was completely gemlike and whose limbs were surprising as though studded with pearls and gems. Seetha goggled at the Golden Deer.  She had not seen earlier a deer with such pretty lips and teeth and hair resembling silver and copper ores. She could not take off her sight from that wonderful deer even for a moment.
              Noticing that Rama's wife Seetha was looking at him with such a surprised look, that highly phantasmal deer too then moved there about as though to scintillate that woodland. To see such a deer which was hitherto unseen, and which was as though studded with numerous gems, the daughter of Janaka, Seetha, went in to an intense wonderment.
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