Wednesday 12 February 2014

137. Worried Rama meets Lakshmana.

                You or I cannot rescue Seetha. Her husband Rama only can. What is he doing now and where is he?  Come, let us go and see him.
               Rama of course heard the last cry of that rakshash, Maareecha. As already stated, Raghava then killed another spotted deer and on taking its carcass, he hurried towards his hermitage. Rama was not quite sure why that rakshash cried so. However, Rama was sure that Maareecha cried so with some malevolent intentions. 'Is it something to do with Seetha? May be, but no harm will come to her as Lakshmana is guarding her.' Rama was thinking on these lines while he was returning hurriedly to the hermitage. While Rama was so hurrying anxiously to see Maithili, he heard a deafening howl of a jackal from his rear. On hearing that threatening and hair-raising howl of the jackal Rama became overly anxious about Seetha as he had heard that such a howl by a jackal was not a good omen. He could not help thinking "Huh! As to how this jackal has howled I deem that as inauspicious. Has some rakshash devoured Seetha? Both Seetha and Lakshmna must have heard the shout of Maareecha mimicking my voice. If Lakshmana believed that it was actually my voice he will instantly rush to my near. No. Lakshamana would definitely recognize it as a hoax. If Maithili listens, she will hasten him to go over here and Soumitri instantly would rush here leaving her off.
            "It is now very clear that Maareecha's becoming a Golden Deer was only to sidetrack and take me away from the hermitage, and his shouting words 'ha, Lakshmana, ha, Seetha,' is something to do with Seetha. Are the rakshashas collectively intending to do away with Seetha?
             "Hopefully both  Seetha and Lakshmana, in my absence are safe. Owing to my devastating Janasthaana I have become a harboured grudge for the rakshashas." 
             While Rama was rushing back to the hermitage doleful animals and birds were crowding him and circumambulating him  from his left side to right and letting off frightening shrieks. Rama was in the knowledge of the fact that such action by birds and/or animals were bad omens. It seemed that the birds and animals were trying to inform him of something bad.
            Then Rama saw Lakshmana coming towards him with a lacklustre face. Though Rama was happy to see his dear brother, was very apprehensive that he left Seetha. He reproached him saying "Lakshmana, your coming here leaving Seetha alone in the hermitage is deplorable. Oh, dear bro, I have a harrowing feeling that something is amiss. This has been accentuated by some inauspicious forebodings that have manifested themselves to me. I am very much apprehensive about Seetha. I shudder at the thought that some forest ranging rakshashas might have devoured her, or else they might have kidnapped her. Oh, dear Lakshmana, I hope that we will be seeing Seetha all intact and alive without any harm. 
               "By the way that deer was actually a rakshash. He led me off quite a distance and evading me very smartly and in irritation I killed him. While dying he rolled back to his original form of a rakshash.
               "Now I am feeling very uneasy. My heart is woeful and ipso facto I am woebegone; my left eye is also fluttering erratically. Oh, Lakshmana, these things forebode bad omens. Something seems to have happened to Seetha.  Has she been whisked away, or, wiped out, or, wandering around on a wrong way in search of me?"
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