Thursday 6 February 2014

135. Ravana proposed to Seetha.

                After dispatching those eight ghastly rakshashas, Ravana felt greatly at ease. He was exceedingly satisfied with what he had achieved and was quite amused in his heart of hearts that he had accomplished a great feat, that too in such a wonderful manner. Though he did not want to, but he could not divert his attention to something else from musing about Seetha whose thought was constantly tormenting him immensely. As his dear sis Shoorp correctly predicted, he was being excruciatingly and continually tormented with the arrows of the Love-god, Manmatha. He got a terrible urge to see Seetha.  He therefore got up and rushed to the beautiful chamber and beheld Seetha, who was surrounded by the rakshashis guarding her, was overwhelmed with ruefulness, her eyes were brimming with tears and she looked like one browbeaten and downtrodden. Seetha's face was downcast unwilling to see anyone or anything. Ravana thought that if she sees the grandeur of the palaces (outside and inside) she would become cheerful. He accordingly ordered the guards to lead her behind him. That paradisaical palatial residential complex of Ravana consisted of innumerable cupolaed skyscrapers, with thousands of females living therein, frequented by diverse bevies of birds, and comprised of numerous gemstones. The pillars were amazingly gilded with engraving of ivory, gilt, quartz, silver etc., and some of them were even embossed with diamonds and with lapis gems, which were highly pleasing to look at. The drumbeats of divine drums were echoing in the entire complex, and its archways were adorned with the gild of pure gold.
                 Ravana walked up the wonderful golden staircase along with Seetha. On the way up, Ravana was pointing out through the windows the rows of skyscrapers with windows that were made of ivory and silver, to Seetha. 
                Ravana flaunted the multiple stories of his own palace which was all over white-marbled and diamond encrusted. He continued to flaunt the wellsprings and leisure pools from which diverse flowers had sprung and overspread them. He felt sure that after seeing his wonderful, great, excellent, superb, marvellous, sensational and mega palaces and the contents therein, Seetha would be highly pleased and more than willing to become his dear wife. He told her with arrogance laced with quite a lot of lust "Oh, Seetha, I am the master of all the rakshashas in the world. There are thirty-two crores (i.e. 320,000,000) of first rated rakshashas in Lanka alone; and this figure does not include the weak, old and very young rakshashas.
                  For every single work of mine a thousand servitors will rush in eagerly. Such as I am, I pledge the entire life of mine along with the suzerainty of this sovereign land of Lanka to you, oh, broad-eyed lady, for you are loftier than my life. Oh, Seetha, you will become an empress for all of the those countless females of exquisite beauty, oh, dear, if only you marry me.
                "I do have numerous attractive, charming, comely, fine, beautiful, lovely and elegant wives. But none of them match your demeanor and allurement. There is no point in thinking of Rama. Marry me and I promise that you will be happy forever. 
               "If you think that Rama will come to rescue you, perish that thought. It is impossible to assail this Lanka even for Indra with all of the gods, as an ocean roundly enshrouds this Lanka which is hundred yojanas wide. There is no one to match my vitality among gods or yakshas or gandharvas or sages or anyone in any world. What do you expect from that dethroned, hapless, seer and vagrant Rama whose lifespan is very limited, for after all, he is a human with a very low vitality?
                 "Oh, Seetha, if you think sanely you will realise that it was a mistake that you married Rama. Touch your heart and ask yourself and you will surely get the answer that I am your most fitting husband. Shed your fallacious hypocrisy and apotheosise me who is your most seemliest husband. Oh, jumpy lady, I need not tell you that your youth is not permanent. Hence before you cease to be young accept me as your husband and let us enjoy all the blitheness together. 
               "Do not be thinking about Rama. He cannot come over here crossing the ocean.
               "By marrying me you will be ruling over this great empire of Lanka as the empress of Lanka. I and all the gods who are at present under my rule will become your royal stewards.  And all mobile and stationary entities of whom I am the ruler will become yours.
               "I am sure that you will be elated on marrying me and then will delight me. Wave your damnable dwelling in the forests bygone off as your bad luck. And what dutiable good deed is to be done by you in marrying me, you do that now, and secure the fruits of that good deed here by marrying me.
               "Oh, Maithili, here the fragrance of all the garlands are divine and the beauty of the jewellery is topmost. You will dress up with them along with me when you become my wife.
                "By my might I grabbed an aircraft known as Pushpaka from my brother Kubera in a war with him, which is similar to the great sun in its shine. That aircraft is expansive and exhilarating, also its speed is unimaginable. Oh, Seetha, in that you can cheerfully fly about along with me, after you marry me.
             "Oh, lady I assure you that your comely countenance, your shining lotus like visage which is quite immaculate, fairish and eyeful will all be brightened by marrying me. 
             "Oh, Vaidehi, it seems that you are embarrassed to consort with me. But what that is approaching you in the form of queen-hood is absolutely compatible with the tradition. Therefore shed your embarrassment and marry me.
               "Let these two feet of yours be massaged by my ten heads, for I am your subordinate and servant. Please agree to marry me."
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