ENCOUNTERS IN EXILE (PART-2)

Rama understood her purpose. He realized that she had only an appearance of quality, and was really cheap and shameless. He remained silent. Whereupon, unable to decide whether he was encouraging or discouraging, she confirmed, "Not knowing that you were here, I was wasting my youth and beauty in serving ascetics and sages. Now that I have found you, my womanhood can have its own fulfillment."

Rama felt a pity for her, and, not wanting to seem hostile,tried to argue her out of her purpose. Overcoming his revulsion, he said, "I am of the warrior class, you are a brahmin, and I cannot marry you." She had an immediate answer for this."Oh, if that is your only objection to me, then my ebbing hopes are buoyed. Please know that my mother was of the asura class; and for a woman of that class, union with all castes is permissible."

Rama was still calm when he mentioned his second

objection: "I am a human, and you are of the rakshasa class; and I cannot marry you."

Undaunted, she replied, "I humbly remind you, as I have already mentioned, that I have no mind to remain in our class, but am seeking the company of saints and sages; oh, you, who look like Vishnu himself, I should no longer be considered to belong to Ravana's family or to be his sister; I have already told you that. If that's all your objection, then I have hope."

Rama still felt kindly toward her, and said without irritation or acerbity, with a touch of lightheartedness, "After all, a bride of your class should be presented properly, when she happens to be a sister of men of eminence such as Kubera and Ravana. You should not be offering yourself like this in matrimony."

"When two persons meet and inwardly have attained union, there is no need for elders to take any formal part in such a marriage. It's sanctioned under Gandharva rites.

Also, my brothers are hostile to ascetics, and stop at nothing when they want to fight them; they observe no rules or disciplines under those circumstances; you are alone and you wear the robes of ascetics, and if they see you, nothing can stop them from attacking you. But if they realize that we are married like Gandharvas, they will relent, be kind to you, and even adopt you and confer on you honors and wealth and over lordship of several worlds … think of it."

At this Rama was amused and remarked, "Ah, is this one way in which the fruits of my penance and sacrifices are to be realized—achieve the grace of rakshasas, gain domestic

bliss through your company, and all the conquests thereof?"

She noted his smile, but missed the irony and was about to say something else when she noted that there was another woman in the picture. Sita had just emerged from the cottage. At the sight of her, Kamavalli looked stunned. She scrutinized the vision inch by inch and was filled with the profoundest admiration as well as despair. If that beautiful creature was the occupant of the cottage, there was no hope for her. She demanded bluntly, "Who is this?" Sita's radiance seemed to precede her actual arrival. Kamavalli had first noticed the light and only then had she seen Sita engulfed in that effulgence. Her jaw fell at this spectacle; for a moment she lost herself in gazing on this pair whose beauty complemented each other; if there was anywhere in creation a male with the perfection of attributes, to be matched by a perfect female, here it was. Kamavalli momentarily forgot her own infatuation in the spell cast by the presence of this pair. But it was only a fleeting distraction.

Her passion soon revived. She assumed that Sita too wasone who had sneaked up to Rama on some forest path and attached herself to him. She could not be this man's wife, as no wife would care to face the hardship of a forest existence.

He must surely have left his wife, if he had one, back at home, and now lived with this woman in the forest.

Kamavalli said to Rama very seriously, "Great one! Don't let this creature come near you. Don't be misled by her appearance, it's not her own, she has assumed it through black art. Actually she is a rakshasa woman; drive her off before she does you any harm. This forest is full of such

deceivers."

She might well have been confessing this of herself—her own normal appearance being that of a demon with wild, matted hair, flame-coloured fang-like teeth, enormous stature, and a belly swollen with the meat and blood of animals she had gorged on in her never-ending gluttony. Her name was Soorpanaka. Her brother Ravana had assigned this Dandaka forest as her own domain, leaving her free to live here as she pleased, assisted by a number of ruthless

demons led by Kara—the fiercest devil ever conceived.

Here she held her court and ravaged the forests. In the course of her wanderings, she saw Rama and fell in love and decided to seduce him by every art in her power. As a first step, through certain incantations, she transformed herself into a comely maiden. Now, when she warned Rama of Sita's true nature as she imagined it, he began to laugh and remarked, "Ah, how true! No one can deceive you, being yourself so transparent! Your piercing perception is truly

admirable; nothing can escape your eyes. Look well now at this sorceress at my side, so that she may realize who she is."

Taking him at his word, Soorpanaka glared at Sita fiercely and shouted, "Get out! Who are you? You have no business to disturb us, when I'm engaged in a private talk with my lover. Be gone!" In her anger, her real tone and personality came through unconcealed. At the sight of it, Sita shook with fright and ran to Rama's arms and clung to him. This further enraged Soorpanaka, who moved towards her with a menacing gesture.