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Ravana comes near the forest. Maricha has gone with him, very glad in his mind, and he has not let Ravana know it. Then Maricha becomes the false deer, wondrous past telling, its body gold and set with jewels. Sita sees it and asks Rama for its skin. Rama rises, knowing every cause. Before he runs, he tells Lakshmana that many night-walkers roam the forest, and he charges him with Sita’s guard. When Rama’s arrow strikes the deer, it takes Lakshmana’s name first as it dies.
In this episode of the Ramcharitmanas the deer leads Rama far before it falls. Maricha dies and is given Rama’s own state. Sita hears the cry and tells Lakshmana to go, and he goes to Rama. Ravana sees the empty moment and comes near in a yati’s guise, an ascetic’s. Sita answers him, and answers him again when he shows his form. He seats her in the chariot. He sets off by the sky-road, and she laments as she goes. Jatayu hears her, challenges Ravana, and brings him down from his chariot. Ravana cuts off his wings. Seeing monkeys on a hill, Sita lets her cloth fall. Ravana keeps her under an Ashoka tree.
Maricha, Ravana, and Jatayu
The main figures in this episode
- Rama who, asked by Sita for the deer’s skin, rises glad, knowing every cause, and who charges Lakshmana to guard her. He runs after the deer of maya, strikes it with a hard arrow, and knows the love within the dying Maricha. He gives him the state sages find hard to reach, and turns back at once. In Sita’s lament he is far away, and in Jatayu’s words his wrath is a terrible fire.
- Sita who sees the deer of gold and asks Rama for its skin. When the cry comes she tells Lakshmana to go. She answers the yati, and when Ravana shows his form she tells him that the Lord has come. Seated in his chariot, she laments in the sky. Seeing monkeys on a hill, and saying the Lord’s name, she lets her cloth fall. Under an Ashoka tree Ravana keeps her.
- Lakshmana who is charged to guard Sita with wit and discernment, considering strength and the hour. Smiling, he asks whether Rama can fall into danger even in a dream. Then he goes to Rama. The dying deer takes his name first.
- Maricha who becomes the false deer when Ravana comes near the forest, his body gold, set with jewels. He takes Rama far with many deceits, falls to a hard arrow, and takes Lakshmana’s name first as he dies. Leaving his life, he shows his own body and remembers Rama with love. Rama gives him his own state.
- Ravana who comes near the forest with Maricha, and who, seeing the empty moment, comes near in a yati’s guise. Like a dog glancing this way and that, he goes to steal. Making pleasing tales, he shows statecraft, fear, and love. He shows his own form, speaks his name, and, bowing in his mind, finds happiness. In anger he seats her in the chariot and takes the sky-road, and for fear he cannot drive. He guesses at Mainaka and at the lord of birds before he knows old Jatayu. Brought down from his chariot and torn by the vulture’s beak, he draws his sword and cuts off the bird’s wings. He keeps Sita under an Ashoka tree.
- Jatayu who hears the cry of distress and knows Sita for Rama’s wife. He tells her not to fear, challenges Ravana, and counsels him to leave Sita and go home safe. Seizing Ravana by the hair, he takes him from his chariot and tears him with his beak. Ravana cuts off his wings, and he falls to the ground remembering Rama.
- Garuda to whom, in the commentary’s reading, Kakabhushundi speaks the aside on the evil road. Ravana, seeing Jatayu come at him, guesses at the lord of birds, whom the commentary names as Garuda.
- The monkeys on the hill who sit on a hill as Sita passes in the sky. Seeing them, she lets her cloth fall as she speaks the Lord’s name.
A deer of gold
Ravana came near that forest. Then Maricha became the false deer. It was most wondrous, past telling, a body of gold set with jewels.
Sita saw the deer, most bright, every limb most enchanting in its guise. She said, “Listen, lord, merciful Rama. This deer’s hide is very beautiful. Lord, true to your word, having killed it, bring me its skin.”
Then Rama, knowing every cause, rose glad to set right the gods’ work. In the commentary’s reading he knew every cause of Maricha’s becoming the false deer.
Now near, now far
At the sight of the deer Rama girded his waist. With his bow in hand, he fitted a bright arrow to it. He explained to Lakshmana, “Many night-walkers roam the forest, brother. Guard Sita with wit and discernment, considering strength and the hour.”
At the sight of him the deer fled. Rama ran after it with his bow strung. He whom the Vedas call “not this,” whom Shiva does not reach in meditation, ran after a deer of maya. Now it came near, and now it fled far off. Now it showed itself, and now it hid. Showing itself and hiding, working many deceits, it took him far away. Then, taking aim, Rama struck it with a hard arrow. It fell to the ground with a terrible cry.
Taking Lakshmana’s name first, it afterward remembered Rama in its mind. Leaving its life, it showed its own body and remembered Rama with love. The commentary calls the body it showed its rakshasa body. Rama, who is wise, knew the love within Maricha and gave him the state sages find hard to reach.
The gods rained many flowers and sang the tales of his virtues. In the commentary’s reading they sang that Rama, the friend of the humble, had given the asura his own state.
A cry, and a smile
Having killed the wicked one, Rama turned back at once. The bow in his hand and the quiver at his waist shone. When Sita heard the cry of distress, she spoke to Lakshmana in great fright. The commentary gives that cry as Maricha’s “alas, Lakshmana” at his death. Sita said, “Go quickly. Your brother is in great danger.”
Smiling, Lakshmana said, “Listen, mother. He at the play of whose brows creation is dissolved, can he fall into danger even in a dream?”
When Sita spoke words that cut to the quick, Lakshmana’s mind wavered, moved by the Lord. Giving her into the keeping of the forest and the gods of the directions, and of all, he went where Rama was, the Rahu to Ravana’s moon.
An empty moment, and a yati’s guise
Ravana saw the empty moment and came near in a yati’s guise. At his fear gods and asuras are afraid. They get no sleep by night, and they eat no food by day. That same Ravana, like a dog glancing this way and that, went to steal. The commentary’s note explains the word for stealing as what a dog does when it finds the place empty, slipping its mouth into the pots and carrying something off.
Here Garuda is addressed. “Setting foot on an evil road like this, lord of birds, not a trace of radiance, wit, or strength stays in the body.” The commentary gives this aside to Kakabhushundi, speaking to Garuda.
Making pleasing tales of many kinds, Ravana showed statecraft, fear, and love. Sita said, “Listen, ascetic master. You have spoken words like a wicked man.”
When the guise came off
Then Ravana showed his own form. When he spoke his name, she was afraid. Sita said, holding deep patience, “The Lord has come. Stand there, wicked one. As a mean hare would want a lioness, you have fallen into Death’s power, king of the rakshasas.”
Hearing the words, Ravana grew angry. In his mind, bowing to the feet, he found happiness. The commentary reads the feet as Sita’s.
Then, in anger, Ravana seated her in the chariot. He set off in haste by the sky-road, and for fear he could not drive the chariot.
A lament in the sky
In the commentary’s reading Sita was lamenting. “Alas, sole hero of the world, Rama, for what offense have you forgotten pity? Remover of distress, giver of happiness to those who come for refuge, alas, sun to the lotus of Raghu’s line. Alas, Lakshmana, the fault is not yours. I have reaped the fruit of the wrath I showed.”
Sita lamented in many ways. “The Lord’s grace is great, and the loving Lord is far. Who will tell the Lord of my trouble? An ass wants to eat the sacrificial cake.” Hearing Sita’s heavy lament, all beings, moving and unmoving, grieved.
Jatayu
Hearing the cry of distress, the king of vultures knew her for Rama’s wife. A low rakshasa was carrying her off, like a tawny cow in a barbarian’s power. In the commentary’s reading Jatayu spoke. “Sita, daughter, do not fear. I will destroy this rakshasa.” The bird ran in anger, as a thunderbolt is loosed at a mountain. In the commentary’s reading he challenged Ravana. “Ho, ho, wicked one, why do you not stand? You go fearless. Did you not know me?”
Seeing him come like the god of death, and turning about, Ravana reckoned. “Is it Mainaka, or the lord of birds? That one knows my strength, with his master too.” The commentary names the lord of birds as Garuda and his master as Vishnu. Ravana knew him. In the commentary’s reading Ravana said, “This is old Jatayu. He will leave his body in the holy place that is my hands.”
Hearing it, the vulture ran, hot with anger, and said, “Listen, Ravana, to my counsel. Leaving Sita, go home safe. Else, many-armed one, this is what will be. In the most terrible fire of Rama’s wrath your whole line will be moths.” The warrior Ravana gave no answer. Then the vulture ran at him in anger.
Seizing Ravana by the hair, the vulture took him from his chariot, and Ravana fell to the ground. Setting Sita aside, the vulture turned again. The commentary reads it as seating her to one side. With blows of his beak the vulture tore Ravana’s body, and for a short while Ravana lay in a swoon.
Then the rakshasa, piqued and in anger, drew a most fearsome sword and cut off his wings. The bird fell to the ground remembering Rama, having done a wondrous deed. The commentary reads the wondrous deed as Rama’s lila.
The Ashoka grove
Seating Sita in the chariot again, Ravana went in haste, and his fear was not small. Sita went lamenting through the sky, as if she were a frightened doe in a hunter’s power.
Seeing monkeys sitting on a hill, and saying the Lord’s name, she let her cloth fall. So Ravana took Sita away and kept her in the Ashoka grove.
The wicked one failed, having shown fear and love in many ways. Then he kept her under an Ashoka tree, having had arrangements made. The commentary reads the arrangements as every provision set in order.
A cloth let fall
Near the forest Maricha became a deer of gold, and Sita asked for its skin. Rama charged Lakshmana with her guard and went after the deer, and it led him far before his arrow brought it down. Dying, and taking Lakshmana’s name first, it then remembered Rama. Rama gave it a state that sages find hard to reach. Sita heard the cry and told Lakshmana to go, and he went to Rama. No line was drawn on the ground. Ravana came near in a yati’s guise, showed his form, and seated her in the chariot for the sky-road. In the sky she lamented, and Jatayu heard her. He brought Ravana down from his chariot and tore him with his beak, and Ravana cut off his wings. Sita, seeing monkeys on a hill, let her cloth fall, saying the Lord’s name. Ravana kept her under an Ashoka tree. In the next episode she keeps in her heart the image of Rama running after the false deer, and goes on repeating the Lord’s name.
The same story, elsewhere: Valmiki’s Ramayana, chapter 13: Maricha, the Golden Deer, and the Abduction of Sita, and chapter 14: Jatayu, Kabandha, and Shabari.
Source: the Gita Press edition of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Aranyakand, doha 27 to doha 29 (a), read with Hanuman Prasad Poddar’s Hindi commentary.