29. THE GRAND TORMENTOR (PART - 5)

"Why should a saintly one like you have chosen to live in that rakshasa country, leaving cities where good men are to be found and the forest where sages live?"

"They are good people, not harmful or cruel like the so called gods. The rakshasa clan have been misrepresented and misunderstood. They are kind and enlightened and particularly good to sadhus like me."

"Those who live amidst asuras could easily become asuras too," Sita remarked naïvely.

Ravana said, "Asuras can be good to those who are good to them. Since they are the most powerful in all the worlds, what could be wiser than to live in harmony with them?"

"But their days are numbered," said Sita. "My lord's mission in life is to rid this world of them and establish peace on earth."

"No human being can ever dare try it. It's like a little rabbit hoping to destroy an elephant herd."

"But have you not heard how my lord has vanquished Kara, Dushana, Virada, and the rest, single-handed?"

"Kara, Virada, and the rest were weaklings possessing neither bows nor Armour—not a great task conquering them.

Wait until you see, as you soon will, what happens to him when he has to meet the mighty Ravana, who has twenty shoulders!"

"What if he has twenty shoulders? Did not just a two-shouldered man like Parasurama once imprison Ravana till he cried for mercy?"

This statement enraged Ravana; his eyes became bloodshot with anger and he ground his teeth. Gradually he was losing his saintly disguise. Noticing the transformation,Sita began to feel puzzled and presently he loomed over her fearsome in his natural form. Sita had no courage to utter any word.

Ravana said, "For your stupid statement, I would have crushed and eaten you, except for the fact you are a woman and I want you and will die if I don't have you. Oh, swan like one, my ten heads have never bowed to any god in any world. But I will take off my crowns and touch your feet with my brow. Only be my queen and command me what to do."

Sita covered her ears with her hands. "How dare you speak thus! I am not afraid to lose my life, but if you wish to save yours, run and hide before Rama sees you."

"Rama's arrows cannot touch me; you could as well expect a mountain to split at the touch of a straw," Ravana said. "Be kind to me. I am dying for your love. I will give you a position greater than anything a goddess can have. Have consideration. Have mercy. I prostrate myself before you."When Ravana fell to the floor, Sita recoiled and started weeping aloud, "O my lord! O, brother Lakshmana, come and help me."

At this Ravana, remembering an ancient curse that if he touched any woman without her consent, he would die that instant, dug the ground under Sita's feet, lifted it off with her,

placed it in his chariot, and sped away.Sita fainted, revived, desperately tried to jump off the

chariot, cried, lamented, called upon the trees, birds, and animals and the fairies of the woods to bear witness and report her plight to Rama, and finally cursed Ravana as a coward and a trickster, who had adopted treacherous means only because he was afraid of Rama; otherwise

would he not have faced Rama and fought him? Ravana only treated her words as a great joke and laughed at her. "You think too highly of Rama, but I don't. I do not care to fight him

because it's beneath our dignity to confront a mere human being."

"Ah, yes, your class are ashamed to contend with humans, but you may covet and treacherously attack a helpless woman.

This is a noble achievement, I suppose! Stony-heated rakshasas like you do not know what is wrong and what is right. If you have the courage to face my husband, stop your chariot immediately; don't drive it farther."

All this only amused Ravana, who laughed and banteredAll this only amused Ravana, who laughed and bantered and uttered reckless pleasantries. At this moment, he felt an obstruction in the course of his flight. Jatayu, the great eagle who had promised to guard the children of his old colleague and friend Dasaratha, noticing the danger that had befallen Sita, shouted a challenge and obstructed Ravana's passage, hurling himself on Ravana with all his might. It was

as if a mountain were hitting the speeding chariot. Before starting the actual battle, Jatayu appealed to Ravana to retrace his steps and take Sita back to Panchvati. He said,

"You don't even have to go back; just stop and put her down, and I'll lead her back safely to her husband and you may run away before Rama comes."

Ravana laughed at this proposal. "Keep out of my way, you senile bird, go away."

Jatayu advised him, "Don't seek your own ruin, and the ruin of your whole clan, class, tribe, and all. Rama's arrows will end your career, have no doubt about it."

"Stop chattering away like this," Ravana commanded. "Let all those heroes you talk about come, bring them all, and I will deal with them. Whatever may happen, I'll not yield this

treasure that I have acquired… . She will go with me." Sita grew desperate and burst into tears. Jatayu said, "Don't fear. No harm will come to you. This demon will be

destroyed by me. You don't have to worry about it at all"—and began his attack. The flapping of his enormous wings created the power of a storm, which shook and paralyzed both Ravana and his chariot; then he hit and tore with his whole body, beak, and claws, with such force that Ravana's ensign with the symbol of a veena9 was torn and the flagstaff was in fragments, his crowns were knocked off and fell to the ground, his royal canopy was in tatters, and the chariot was smashed. Ravana parried and hit and used all the weapons in his command, but Jatayu kept up an unrelenting offensive. Ravana tried to spare Jatayu up to a point. His anger finally rose and he took a special sword (an infallible one gifted to him by Shiva) called "Chandrahasa" and with a couple of flourishes and swings dealt a final blow to Jatayu, lopped off his gigantic wings, and pierced his throat. After Jatayu fell, Ravana picked himself up, abandoned his chariot, placed Sita on his shoulder with the piece of ground beneath her and, exercising his power to fly in the air,carried her off to Lanka.