Thursday 9 January 2014

125. Maareechaa helped Ravana while dying.

             Before leaving, Rama securely fastened his sword with golden handle to his waist. Then he took his insignia namely the three-way arched bow kodanDa, and fastened two quivers.
             Seeing that Rama had started to get him, that Golden Deer disappeared as if with fear and in order to beguile him, the deer made himself visible in one moment and in the next moment invisible. Like this the deer led Rama deep into the forest. At times Rama was seeing it running away as though to circumvent the fall of arrow, and at times stopping only to tantalize him. Sometimes it appeared to be springing as though to skies in a very high perplexity and wariness. When Rama thought that he was getting him (the deer), it was disappearing somewhere in the thickets of forest, and was making an appearance elsewhere in those thickets.
             Thus that deer playing hide-and-seek led Raghava very far from his hermitage. Rama was piqued initially, but the continuous tricks of the deer made him angry and ipso facto decide to kill him after a few more tries. Not knowing the mood of Rama,  Maareecha continued to madden Rama by reappearing close to Rama, surrounded with other animals of the forest. Seeing Rama, the deer ran towards him as though to impress with its guilelessness. Rama thought that he was going to get him that time, but just at that moment Rama started to make a move towards him, he (the deer) vanished as if with extreme fear. Then that deer again emerged out of the thick of trees. Rama became exasperated and his fury reached its pinnacle. Drawing an arrow which had all the attributes of the flare of the sun, tautening it on his very sturdy bow that angry Rama forcefully outstretched the bowstring with arrow targeting the Golden Deer, and released that fiery blazing arrow which was carefully created by Brahma and which was hissing like a snake.
               It promptly severed the heart of Maareecha. Then Maareecha was highly frenzied as his death was imminent, blared a blaring shriek, vaulted up to a height of a palm-tree, and fell down onto the ground. Maareecha abandoned the body of the Golden Deer when he was falling down. But remembering the words of Ravana, he mimicking the voice of Rama shouted in a high pitch and very loudly 'Ha Seetha' and 'Ha Lakshmana'.
              Hearing the cry, Rama thought "So this is the trickery of Maareecha which Lakshmana predicted earlier. And this is none other than Maareecha. This rakshash  before dying out cried with a blatant voice mimicking me 'ha, Seetha... ha, Lakshmana...' And on hearing this how Seetha will be feeling now?  And what will be the plight of dear Lakshmana?'" 
And he became very anxious. Raghava then killed another spotted deer and on taking its flesh, he hurried towards his hermitage.
                The distress call made by Maareecha was heard by both Seetha and Lakshmana.  As the mimicry was par excellence, Seetha believed that it was made by her dear hubby Rama. She, therefore told Lakshmana in a highly agitated voice "You go at once, and check up on Raghava. Please go immediately. I do not understand why your are just standing there without making any move to help your dear brother. I say GO.
                 "He might have come under the subjugation of rakshashas as with a bull coming under the seize of lions. Hence, you hurry up to see what happened to him and help him" 
                 Lakshmana did not make any move due to the strict instruction of Rama to stay guard to Seetha, before he was going to get the deer. 
                 Seetha became very angry and told him "You heard the cry of your brother. But you did not make any move despite my imploring you to go to the assistance of your brother. You seem to entertain some ulterior motive. You seem to have cupidity for me and hence you want your brother to be killed."
                Lakshmana felt very hurt.  He kindly told Seetha, who was deluged under tears because of her anguish and hence talking rubbish "Oh, Vaidehi, you know that your husband is invincible by serpents, asuras, gandharvas, gods, fiends, rakshashas etc. You know that Rama is not in anyway less powerful than Indra. It is inapt of you to talk to me that way as Rama is absolutely inextirpable in any confrontation. I do not venture to abandon you in this forest in the absence of Raghava.
                    "Even the most forceful Crowns with all their military forces, or, all the gods together with their heads, let all the three worlds put together come mutinously, whether jointly or severally, cannot overpower Rama as his prowess is not restrainable in any way or by anyone. Hence, shed all your worries and anxiety. Your husband will be returning soon after killing that extraordinary deer.
                  "Even though the voice very much resembled that of Rama, it is definitely not the voice of Rama. Someone mimicked that voice for chicanery, and that must be the illusory voice of that rakshash Maareecha. 
                  "And lady Vaidehi, as Rama has entrusted you in my care, I do not dare to leave you off now. Oh, gracious lady, we have become the adversaries of these rakshashas because of the elimination of Khara and others. The rakshashas are the swaggerers in violence in these great forests and they will be employing various methods. Mimicking the voice of Rama must be one of them Therefore, Vaidehi, just do not bother about it." 
                 Seetha was not satisfied with the explanation of Lakshmana and as such she became furious on hearing his reply. With bloodshot eyes she rudely shouted at Lakshmana "You are concocting reasons for staying here instead of rushing out to assist your brother. I am now totally convinced that you are a debased one devoid of mercy, thus a dreadful one, and a degrader of your dynasty, and it is now clear that you derive great pleasure from a fatal attack on Rama.
              "You are reeling out all these sermons only on noticing hardship to Rama. It is no wonder that the callous ones and rivals of your kind, who always behave in a cloak-and-dagger way, will tend to commit deadly sins without any remorse whatsoever. You are typically maleficent for you cleverly contrived to make Rama agree for your accompanying him to the forest for some clandestine and covert reasons, probably instigated by Bharata. Now it is crystal clear that the reason is me.
                 "Whether this is an intrigue of yours or that of Bharata, let me tell you, Saumitri, clearly that this is totally not achievable by you. Do you think that after marrying the most wonderful prince who looks like a god, I will ever think about any other man or divine person? 
                 "If my dear husband precedes me, I will just discard my life in your presence, Soumitri. I could not eke out an existence on this earth even for a moment without Rama."
                  Lakshmana was totally aghast on hearing the harsh words of Seetha. He humbly replied "I do not venture to reply you Maithili, as you are like a deity to me. As the wife of my elder brother you are like my mother and I look upon you as such. I know very well that you yourself do not believe what you were accusing me of. Out of your immense love for Rama coupled with your fear, you, after hearing that distress call in the voice of Rama, think that something bad has happened to Rama. You alleged me something which you, yourself know is totally untenable.
               "Let all of the living beings of this forest listen how you are addressing me with bitter words, though I am reasoning with you conscientiously, and let them become my corroborators for the sake of justice. Fie upon you, you are acrimoniously tempered owing to your familiarity with me and by which impulsive reason you mistrust me. I am just carrying out my brother's order. May God damn you for your crotchetiness. I am going there where Rama is, oh, lady with best visage, you be blessed, and oh, broad-eyed one, let all the forest deities protect you.
                "Okay! I am going now as you desire. I have a foreboding as to whether I will be seeing you again when I return with Rama." 
                 Hearing the acrimonious retort by Lakshmana, Seetha with her eyes whelmed with tears told Lakshmana "Without Rama I will plunge myself into the River Godavari, or I kill myself by hanging, or discard this body of mine from heights. Or I drink deadly poison, or I enter a flaring fire, but I will never touch another man."
                 After thus declaring her resolve, Seetha weeping bitterly with great anguish, started to smite her belly with both of her palms in a heightened agony. Looking at the agonized Seetha that cheerless Saumitri tried to cheer her up by repeatedly informing that her husband Rama would definitely come soon. But Seetha did not respond to the brother of her husband, and maintained a silence of antipathy.
                   Understanding the feeling of Seetha, Lakshmana in usual reverence briefly came to her fore and making a reverential palm-fold salute, and then started proceeding to the proximity of Rama, repeatedly looking back at that lonely lady in the thick of the forest.
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