Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- sundarakanda

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7. Ravana's reaction to Seetha's reply

 

Valmiki says prthyuvaacha

Suchismithaa, she replied with a smile. Why should she smile when she was

trembling and full of grief on hearing the words of Ravana? Sita was not

lacking in courage and her trembling and sorrow was due to her repugnance for

the behaviour of Ravana. She smiled at the words of Ravana who was prattling

that Rama was not his equal and it was not sure whether Rama was still living

etc. while he himself entered the hermitage like a thief and took her away in

the absence of Rama and Lakshmana, not being brave enough to face them. She

smiled also because Ravana was tempting her, who had left the royal life to

follow Rama in the forest, with all

luxuries, which for her were like the blade of grass in front. She

smiled because she was the incarnation

of Lakshmi and Ravana was offering all

the riches to her , without whose grace he could not have got them in the first

place and due to his aparadha towards her he was going to lose everything

including his life soon .

 

First Seetha , like a mother to the erring child, started advising

Ravana. She told him that he could never aspire for her like a sinner

hoping for emancipation. She advised him

to turn his mind towards his own wives and forget her.. She asked him whether

there is no one in Lanka who could advise him in the right path and said that

he was going to destroy himself and his people by his own actions.

 

Then she started replying to his enticements. She told him that no

one could tempt her with riches and she is inseparable from Rama like the light

from the sun. Raaghavathve abhavath

seethaarulmiNee krshnajanmani, the divine mother incarnates along with the

Lord in Ramavatara and Krishnavathara

and in other incarnations she was his hrdhayavaasini., seated in His heart as otherwise He could not show

mercy to His devotees.

 

She advised Ravana to reunite her with Rama for his own good or

else he will be destroyed. Rama's anger she said, is more terrible than vajrayudha and the god of death himself.

Otherwise he will see the shower of arrows from the bow of Rama and Lakshmana

very soon who, like Garuda would destroy the rakshasas like serpents. She said

that Ravana was like a dog in front of the two tigers , Rama and Lakshmana and

his valour which he highly bragged about

was very well seen in his abducting her in the absence of Rama and

Lakshmana like a thief.

 

Ravana angered by her words said that though she deserved to

be killed for her talking thus to him,

he was not doing so and reminded her about what he said when he brought her to

Lanka, that is , she should accept him within twelve months time or else his

men would cut her into pieces and make

her his breakfast and only two more months were remaining of the stipulated

time. The women who followed him

reassured Seetha that his words were only empty threats by their gestures.

 

Seetha then told him that he was nearing his death and that was

why he was talking like that and except him no one in all the three worlds

would have looked upon her , who was the wife of Rama like Sachi to Indra, with

such intentions. She said that she regretted that there was no one to turn him

away from his sinful thoughts and he could not hide from Rama anywhere and he

was like a rabbit when compared with Rama who was like an elephant. She

wondered that his eyes, which looked at her with desire, had not yet popped out and his tongue which

spoke such wicked words to her, who is the wife of Rama and the daughter in law

of Dasaratha, did not fall off.

 

Seetha said that she could have burnt him by the power of her

paathivrathya but did not do so because she could not act without the command

of Rama according to the dharma of a wife. She said that she would wait

patiently till Rama came and showed his valour and destroy Ravana. She

ridiculed Ravana saying that he was

indeed a hero and a fitting brother of Kubera and the master of a great

army, since he stole the wife of Rama

after cunningly removing Rama from the place.

 

Ravana became furious and said that he would kill her then and

there. But Dhaanyamaala., one of his wives pacified him saying that after all

Seetha was a human being who had nothing extraordinary compared with his other

wives who were celestial damsels and from all the three worlds. Then Ravana

went away with her after instructing the rakshasis who were guarding Seetha to see that she somehow agreed to become his wife. by

coaxing or threatening.

 

The words of Seetha saying that she would have burnt Ravana but

was waiting for Rama to come and kill him is reflected by Thyagaraja in his krthi `maajaanaki,' in kaambhodhi. He says, vaani maatalanu kopa kinchi kanta

vadhiyinchalkaneyundi Srinayaka yasamu neeke kalga jeyaledhaa, "Did she

not refrain from burning Ravana with anger hearing his talk, in order to give

the credit to you?" and he further says that Rama attained the fame of being

destroyer of Ravana because he was maajaanaki chetta bhatttaga, married to Seetha.