SECTION –CCLXXIX
(Draupadi-harana Parva Continued)
"Markandeya said, 'And while the chaste Sita
was dwelling there afflicted with melancholy and grief on account of her lord,
attired in mean garb, with but a single jewel (on the marital thread on her
wrist), and incessantly weeping, seated on a stone, and waited upon by Rakshasa
women, Ravana, afflicted by the shafts of the god of desire, came to her and
approached her presence. And inflamed by desire, that conquerer in battle of
the gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Yakshas, and the Kimpurushas,
attired in celestial robes and possessing handsome features, decked with
jewelled earrings and wearing a beautiful garland and crown, entered the Asoka
woods, like an embodiment of the vernal season. And dressed with care, Ravana
looked like the Kalpa tree in Indra's garden. But though adorned with every
embellishment, that inspired her only with awe, like a beautified banian in the
midst of a cemetery. And that night wanderer, having approached the presence of
that slender-waisted lady, looked like the planet Saturn in the presence of
Rohini. And smitten with the shafts of the god of the flowery emblem he
accosted that fair-hipped lady then affrighted like a helpless doe, and told
her these words, 'Thou hast, O Sita, shown thy regard for thy lord too much! O
thou of delicate limbs, be merciful unto me. Let thy person be embellished now
(by these maids in waiting). O excellent lady, accept me as thy lord! And, O
thou of the most beautiful complexion, attired in costly robes and ornaments,
take thou the first place among all the women of my household. Many are the
daughters of the celestials and also the Gandharvas that I possess! I am lord
also of many Danava and Daitya ladies! One hundred and forty millions of
Pisachas, twice as many man-eating Rakshasa of terrible deed, and thrice as
many Yaksha do my bidding! Some of these are under the sway of my brother who
is the lord of all treasures. In my drinking hall, O excellent lady of
beautiful thighs, Gandharvas and Apsaras wait on me as they do on my brother! I
am, again, the son of that regenerate Rishi Visravas himself of high ascetic
merit. I am renowned, again, as the fifth Regent of the Universe! And, O
beautiful lady, of food and edibles and drinks of the very best kind, I have as
much as the Lord himself of the celestials! Let all thy troubles consequent on
a life in the woods cease! O thou of fair hips, be my Queen, as Mandodari herself!'
Thus addressed by him, the beautiful princess of Videha, turning away and
regarding him as something less than a straw, replied unto that wanderer of the
night. And at that time the princess of Videha, that girl of beautiful hips,
had her deep and compact bosom copiously drenched by her inauspicious tears
shed ceaselessly. And she who regarded her husband as her god, answered that
mean wretch, saying, 'By sheer ill-luck it is, O king of the Rakshasas, that I
am obliged to hear such words of grievous import spoken by thee! Blessed be
thou, O Rakshasa fond of sensual pleasures, let thy heart be withdrawn from me!
I am the wife of another, ever devoted to my husband, and, therefore, incapable
of being possessed by thee! A helpless human being that I am, I cannot be a fit
wife for thee! What joy can be thine by using violence towards an unwilling
woman? Thy father is a wise Brahmana, born of Brahma and equal unto that Lord
himself of the creation! Why dost thou not, therefore, thyself being equal to a
Regent of the Universe, observe virtue? Disgracing thy brother, that king of
the Yakshas, that adorable one who is the friend of Maheswara himself, that
lord of treasures, how is it that thou feelest no shame?' Having said these
words, Sita began to weep, her bosom shivering in agitation, and covering her
neck and face with her garments. And the long and well-knit braid, black and
glossy, falling from the head of the weeping lady, looked like a black snake.
And hearing these cruel words uttered by Sita, the foolish Ravana, although
thus rejected, addressed Sita once more, saying, 'O lady, let the god having
the Makara for his emblem burn me sorely. I will, however, on no account, O
thou of sweet smiles and beautiful hips, approach thee, as thou art unwilling!
What can I do to thee that still feelest a regard for Rama who is only a human
being and, therefore, our food?' Having said those words unto that lady of faultless
features, the king of the Rakshasa made himself invisible then and there and
went away to the place he liked. And Sita, surrounded by those Rakshasa women,
and treated with tenderness by Trijata, continued to dwell there in
grief."
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