This article is part of “Sundara Kandam of Sage Valmiki”
Hearing Sitas tough words Ravana became very angry. He said “ Inspite of all the sweet words that a man uses to attain a woman, womans pride and carelessness increases but they don’t submit themselves to that man. My desire on you is controlling my anger. My lust is stopping me from harming you”
“Lust for human beings is a beautiful one. To whosoever it gets controlled, friendship, affection, love is born there. That’s the reason im not killing you right away. the deadline for you is just 2 months. If you do not oblige by then, you will be cut into pieces and made a breakfast for me.” Hearing these words, the devas and kandarva women wept. some consoled Sita.
Hearing the comments made by Ravana, Sita said” you are indulging in wrong activities because of the absence of well-wishers for you. No one else in all these three worlds would dare to even dream of me as their wife. After abducing me, Ramas Virtuous and chaste wife, where are you going to hide and save yourself. Rama is like elephant. you are a hare in front of him. For all the words that you speak about Rama now, you came when he was not there in the hut and abducted me. Why is that the eyes of you that are staring me, did not fall off? Why is that your tongue did not get cut and meet the ground? Since I do not have the permission from Rama, im leaving you. Else I can burn you into ashes due to the power of my chastity. This definitely is your fate to have abducted me, so that you meet destruction and death soon”.
After speaking all these, Sita saw Ravana and he appeared like a mountain. Ravana was extremely angry and was gasping and his eyes were red. He saw the ogresses around Sita and instructed them .” Make her oblige to me using whatever means you can, be it love, affection, force, kind advice or threats”
At that time, a beautiful ogress name Dhanyamalini embraced Ravana and invited him to have a good time with her. she said “Why are you interested in Sita who has lost all the beauty and is not worth of it. A man who wants to make love to a woman who is not interested will not get happines. Make love to the women who desire you and you will get the maximum happiness.”
Hearing those words, Ravana thought to himself and stared at Sita once and he started walking towards his palace. All the women who came with him, went back along with him
English Translation Line wise
Twenty-second Chapter: Ravana setting a limit for Sita
(Ravana terrorizes Sita and tells her that within another two months she should sleep with him. Otherwise she would be killed. Sita rejects the threat with contempt it deserves and the passionate Ravana treats her cruelly. He is dissuaded by one Dhanyamala and returns to his palace , after ordering the Rakshasis surrounding Sita to make her obey to his wishes by fair or foul means.)
After this Ravana , hearing the firm reply of Sita, gave the following dangerous reply to her well-intentioned words: 1
To the extent a man tries to console a lady, he gets caught in her web to that extent, to the extent he praises her, he is given negative replies to that extent. 2
The passion towards you within me is controlling my anger towards you like an experienced driver controls a straying horse. 3
Passion of a man is beautiful, because to whomsoever that passion is addressed , he gets love and mercy towards her. 4
(Ravana who is a Rakshasa talks about the passion of man.)
Because of this I am not killing you, who has love towards an imposter sage and who should be insulted and killed. 5
Hey princess of Mithila, for every harsh word that you told me you deserve terrible punishment of death. 6
After telling the daughter of Videha these words, he became very angry and further told her the following: 7
Hey pretty one, who cannot be adequately described, the remaining period of safety that I have set to you are only two months and so you better climb in my bed to sleep with me. 8
If you do not accept me as your husband after two months, my cooks will cut you in to pieces for my breakfast. 9
(After abducting and keeping her imprisoned in Asoka forest. Gave her a period of 12 months of which ten are already past.)
The deva and Gandharwa ladies present there with pain laden eyes pitied the daughter of Janaka who was threatened by the king of Rakshasas. 10
Some ladies by the movement of their lips and some others by their eyes and faces tried to console Sita who was terrorized by the Rakshasa. 11
Consoled by them Sita, addressing Ravana the king of Rakshasas told him the following words which reflected the greatness in her due to her virtue and which were good to the soul: 12
There appears to be none interested in your welfare and that is why nobody is preventing you from this base act of yours. 13-14
In all the three worlds none except you would wish me to be their wives, for I am the wife of that just soul like Sachi Devi is the wife of Indra. 15
Hey, base Rakshasa, where and how are you going to run and save yourself after uttering these sinful words addressed to the wife of the all powerful Sri Rama.(could be also interpreted as from that sin instead of Rama) 16
You two are like the very angry upset elephant and a poor rabbit in the forest, you being the rabbit and Sri Rama the elephant. 17
You, who are like that are without shame insulting him from the beginning and never became visible to his eye and kept yourself in hiding. 18
Hey cruel one, why are those two cruel ugly an yellowish black eyes of yours which are staring me not falling down on earth. 19
Hey sinner, why does not your toungue which talks to me who am Rama’s wife and daughter in law of Dasaratha not getting detached? 20
Hey ten headed one, who deserves to become ash, I am not turning you in to ash by the power of my virtue because I do not have the consent from Rama and since I have to follow my own dictates of just action(dharma). 21
It is not possible for me ,who belongs to Rama, to be abducted and I do not have any doubt that God has fated this, for causing your destruction. 22
After doing some trick to get Sri Rama away from me , you are supposed to be a great hero , who is the brother of Kubhera and who has an army , had only done the theft of a wife 23
Hearing these insulting words, Ravana rolled his very cruel eyes and stared at the daughter of Janaka. 24
That king of Rakshasas who was like a bluish cloud, who had very thick neck and arms, who had the strength and gait of a lion, who was a gentleman, who had sharp toungue and eyes like the flame of fire, who wore the crown with moving tips, who wore several pretty garlands and other marks, who wore red cloths and garland, who wore golden armlets, who had a pretty waist belt adorned with blue gem stones, who was like the Mandara mountain used to churn out nectar from the sea with the great serpent Vasuki encircling it and who was equal to a mountain, shined with his two long , round and thick hands like the two peaks of Mandara mountain. 25-28
That Ravana, who wore two ear globes having the glitter of the young sun, who was like a mountain having two Asoka trees with red young leaves and flowers, who was similar to the wish giving tree (Kalpaka) , who looked like the personification of spring season, who was like the dreaded body platform in the cremation ground, who though ornamented well was looking terrible and who was having deep red eyes due to anger, hissed like a serpent addressed Sita the daughter of King of Videha and told thus:- 29-31
Hey lady , who has believed with hope that unjust Rama who is poor, I am going to kill you by my strength just now like the Sun eats away the dawn. 32
Having told her like this Ravana who was the king who made his enemies cry, addressing the Rakshasis with terrible miens, some of whom were one eyed, some who were one eared, some who were shut eared, some who were having cow like ears, some who were having elephant like ears, some whose ears were hanging, some who did not have ear at all, some who were elephant legged, some who were horse legged, some who were cow legged, some who were having very long hairs on the leg, some who were having both eyes on one side, some who were having only one leg, some who were having giant legs, some who did not have leg at all, some who were having big heads and legs, some who were having big breasts and bellies, some who were having big mouth and eye, some who were having very long toungue, some who did not have toungue at all, some who were not having nose, some who were having the face of a lion, some who were having face of a cow and some who were having the face of a pig , ordered them , Hey Rakshasis, You take that action which would make Sita the daughter of Janaka obey my intents soon and all of you do it together. Not only that, bring her under control, using techniques favouring and not favouring her and tricks like Sama(soft), Bhedha(creating confusion) and Dhana(using rough tactics) and after ordering like this forgetting himself by passion and anger he terrorized the daughter of Janaka showing her his face. 33-39
Then a Rakshasi called Dhanya Malini hurriedly came near him and embracing the ten headed one told him thus: 40
(some people identify Dhanya Malini as Mandodari, the queen of Ravana)
Hey king, who is the chief of Rakshasas, what is the use this foolish Sita who belongs to the base caste of man to you, come on, make love with me. 41
Hey King, I feel that the God Brahma has not fated her to enjoy the greatly enjoyable things that you have earned by your strength. 42
The body of him who is in passionate love with some one who does love him becomes frail day by day and full contentment can be had only when you love some one who desires you. 43
That very strong cloud like Rakshasa, thus pulled back by that Rakshasi went back from there with a smile. 44
Starting from there, the ten headed one traveled to his palace with the glitter of the sun, making the earth tremble under his feet. 45
Along with the ten headed one, the Deva ladies, Gandharwa ladies and the Naga ladies surrounded him on all four sides and entered the palace. 46
Tempted by the God of love that Ravana terrorizing Sita who was stable, who always stood by just action and who was trembling leaving her there reached his glittering palace.
Thus ends the twenty second chapter of Sundara Kanda which is in the Ramayana which is the first epic written by Valmiki.
Read Next
Chapter 23: Rakshasis persuading Sita