Chapter LI: Section LII

Beholding the king of vultures slain by Ravana, that one possessed of a face fair as the moon, striken with grief, broke out into lamentations, saying, "Throbbings of the eyes or other parts of the body, dreams, seeing birds or hearing their voices, are found to augur happiness or misery to men. And, O Rama, although birds and beasts are scampering away before thee on my account, thou understandest not the mighty mishap that has befallen thee. O Rama, this bird, who, moved by kindness, had come to rescue me, owing to my (ill) luck, lies slain on the ground. O Kakutstha, O Lakshmana, save me!" Thus did that best of females, afflicted with fear, bewail; and those near (her) heard her lamentations. Thereat, that lord of the Rakshasas, Ravana, darted towards Vadehi, who, with a faded wreath for her ornament, was bewailing in forlorn guise. Exclaiming repeatedly, "Leave off!" "Leave off," the lord of the Rakshasas got at her, as she was clasping a mighty tree as if it were a creeper. And as she, bereft of the company of Rama in the wilderness, was wailing, saying, "O Rama," "O Rama," that one resembling the Destroyer himself, with the view of compassing his own end, seized her by her hair. On Vaidehi being thus outraged, this entire world consisting of mobile and immobile objects, had its nature altered. A dense darkness enveloped (everything). And the air did not breathe there; and the sun grew dim. Espying with his divine vision that Sita was overcome, that Deity, the graceful Great-father exclaimed, "Our work is accomplished." And seeing Sita overpowered, the supreme saints inhabiting the Dandaka forest, concluding the destruction of Ravana to be as good as accomplished without much ado, became at once delighted and aggrieved. As she went on weeping with "O Rama," "O Lakshmana," Ravana--lord of Rakshasas --taking her, coursed through the sky. And then the king's daughter hued like molten gold, clad in a yellow silken cloth, looked exceedingly beautiful like unto lightning. And on her yellow cloth streaming up, Ravana looked surpassingly graceful like a hill aflame with fire. And coppery fragrant lotus-leaves belonging to the eminently auspicious Vaidehi showered upon Ravana. And her gold-glowing silken cloth, flying in the air, appeared like clouds colored by the sunken sun. And her blameless countenance on Ravana's lap in the sky did not appear beauteous without Rama,--like a lotus without its stalk; it appeared like the moon risen tearing away dark clouds. And in the aerial regions her countenance on Ravana's lap furnished with a fair forehead and graceful hair glowing like the interior of a lotus, without scars, graced with white, shining, stainless teeth, having excellent eyes,--lovely like the moon, having a shapely nose, a rubeous upper lip,--wearing the splendour of gold in the sky,--that captivating countenance of hers in consequence of her weeping, and of being stained with tears, as also owing to the violence it had undergone at the hands of the lord of Rakshasas--did not appear beautiful without Rama; like the moon risen during the day. And furnished with the hue of gold, Mithila's daughter beside the dark-bodied lord of the Rakshasas, looked like a golden girth round a sable elephant. And Janaka's daughter, yellow-hued like lotus, having the lustre of gold.--and adorned with shining ornaments, coming in contact with Ravana, appeared like lightning embosomed among clouds. And in consequence of Vaidehi's ornaments sending sounds, the lord of Rakshasas resembled an entirely dark rumbling cloud. And as Sita was being borne away, showers of blossoms, falling off from her head, were scattered all around on the earth beneath. And that blossomy shower all around, drawn up by the vehemence of the ten-headed Ravana, again alighted beside him. And the showers of blossoms scattered around Vaicravana's younger brother, looked like rows of burning stars round the foremost of mountains.[58] And the bangles studded with gems, loosened from Vaidehi's feet, fell on the earth, like the lightning circle.[59] Of hue like the light red of tender twigs, Vaidehi set off the dark-bodied lord of Rakshasas, as does a golden cover an elephant. Vaicravana's younger brother carried away Sita, who, like a mighty meteor, filled the heavens with her splendour. And like stars of exhausted religious merit dropping down from the sky, her fiery ornaments began to fall to the earth with sounds. And the chain of the splendour of the moon, removed from Vaidehi's breast, falling down, shone like the Ganga dropping from the sky. The trees filled with various fowls, with their tops waving because of the wind blowing on high and swaying them, seemed to say, "No fear," [unto Sita.] And the pools with their lotuses faded and their fishes agitated, seemed to sorrow for the desponding daughter of Mithila as for their friend. And following Sita's shadow, lions, and tigers, and other beasts and birds, rushed from all sides in wrath. And the mountains, with their faces washed with water-falls representing tears, and their summits resembling uplifted arms, seemed to lament for Sita, as she was being carried away. And beholding Vaidehi carried away, the glorious Sun, oppressed with sadness, had his rays dimmed and his disc darkened. "Virtue is not; and where is truth? And there is neither sincerity nor kindness,--in a case in which Ravana is carrying away Rama's Vaidehi thus did all creatures lament in numbers. And the young of deer, afflicted with fear, wept with woe-begone faces. And the sylvan deities, looking up now and again with eyes betokening fear, had their persons all in a tremble. For compassing his own destruction, the Ten-headed one carried away the intelligent Vaidehi, bewailing bitterly, Sita, who had come by such misfortune, sweet-voiced, crying, "O Lakshmana" "O Rama," and casting glances on the ground many a time and oft,--the ends of her hair waving and her _tilika_ wiped out. Then oppressed with the load of fear, Sita of luminous smiles,--Mithila' s daughter, bereft of her friends --not beholding either Rama or Lakshmana, became pale of countenance.

[58] Sumeru.--T.

[59] Instead of _On the earth_--some texts have [bangles]
_sweet-sounding_.--T.