“I will not talk things to please
you, but as a dutiful subject, I will tell you the truth. You are all powerful,
bountiful and knowledgeable. Flattery will please you, but I must speak the
harsh truth as your action will lead to danger and ruin of your race.
Your informants and relations
have not told you the truth. Some enemy of yours is determined to destroy you,
pretending to be on your side, has given you the plan to steal Seetha. There
could be greater plan of Devaas to annihilate you. As a king you should
evaluate the advantage and disadvantages of such actions. Don’t be deceived by
people who has vested interest to instigate you to misuse your powers. Raama is
neither a wanderer nor a rebel. He is a dutiful son, honouring his father’s
promise to the queen. He is not a weakling or a coward, but a warrior trained
under the tutelage of Brahma Rishi Vishwaamitra himself. He is a prince. Do not
make him your enemy. Do not bring disgrace and dishonour to your subject and
kingdom.
Raama is the personification of sathya, the truth. He is the keeper of dharma. He is the first among men,
like Indra is among the Gods. Seetha is a devoted wife, daughter of Janaka and
inseparable from Raama. As you cannot separate fire from the Sun, you should
not try separating the couple. Do not cast your eyes on Seetha, she will never
ever yield to you. Do not steal from Raama. You will fall prey to your death.
If challenged to a fight with Raama,
you will not win. He is all powerful, skilled warrior, excellent marksman, equipped
with destructing weapons, skilled in art of war and educated on scriptures of
the God and men. I have confronted him when he was a young child, at Vishwaamitra’s
ashram. In that fight he killed Subaahu and hurled me south into the sea. He is
now a man, and more powerful and more skilled. He has vanquished the unconquerable
fourteen powerful generals of Khara, the army of Janasthaana and your brothers
Khara, Dooshana and Trishiras at Panchvaati.
Don’t be delusional. Your pride and lust has blinded you not to see
that Raama is here in Dandakaranya forest for a purpose, and why should you
challenge dharma to instigate the
cause for the ruin of the rakshasha
race and the peace and prosperity of your subjects of Lanka. Do not cast eyes
on another’s wife. Like you protect your wife and keep them safe, every husband
will do the same. Do not walk the path of sin. Do not steal someone’s wife. Do
not invite your end, my king.
I have given you good advice. I
have done my best as your loyal servant. I know you will choose to reject this
advice, but I plead you to relook at your proposition, king of the world.”
Maareecha, a rakshasha himself, thus responded to his king Raavana , who has come to
the aashram of the former to seek help to steal Seetha.
Maareecha has been
leading a life of an ascetic in his aashrama,
since his defeat in the hands of young Raama. Raavana sought help, seek avenge
for the humiliation of his sister Surpanakha, killing of his cousins in
Panchavati by carrying off the wife of Raama. He was blinded by the description
of the beauty of Seetha and had the adharma
desire to possess her as his wife. Raavana portrayed Raama as a runaway
from dharma, disguised as an ascetic
but enjoying sensual pleasures in the forest, drunk in pride of his power, has mutilated
his sisters for no reason and insulted his race. As a king and a protective
brother he has to take action. And he needs Maareecha to use his courage, strength
and magic to divert the Ikshvaku brothers
Raama and Lakshmana so that Raavana can approach Seetha to carry her away. Although
Raavana spoke of kinship, revenge, duty of a king to honour his race and
security, he was impelled by a lustful desire of possessing Seetha and Maareecha
saw this.
“You turn into a golden deer with
silver spots, a coat so fine with all hues that cast a spell on all eyes that
looks at you. Show your delicate gaze, frolic in front of Seetha. True to her
character, she will insist on capturing you for her. You need to engage the
brothers and take them away so that she is left alone and I can carry her off.”,
Raavana continued. “Raama will be languishing in sorrow, after losing such a beautiful
wife, will lose his prowess and it will be easy to kill him and avenge him.”
Today, Raavana was not pleased
with Maareecha’s pleading and questioning him. He said that as a king, he seeks
advice of his advisers and examine them before taking a decision. But he has
not come here to seek advice, but seek help on this matter. He seeks loyalty
that is due to him. And if Maareecha cannot service this request, his life
would be eliminated. If he can render the service, he will be at liberty to do
what he desires.
Maareecha pondered on it. If he
transforms into a deer and have Raama sent for capturing him, he would surely
be captured and killed. If he does not heed to the request, Raavana is sure to
annihilate him. Thus there was no escape from death. It would be worthy to be
killed in the hands of Raama than Raavana. Better to die in the hands of a
worthy enemy than be killed for treason by the king.
And Maareecha thus agreed to be the
golden deer in the episode where Raavana captures Seetha, wife of Raama.
Disclaimer: This re-telling is inspired from Rajaji's Ramayana.