Ravana had enrolled Benjakayi.hoping that Rama on seeing Sita dead, would loose all interest in fighting. As hoped, Rama seeing the dead body of Sita carried away by the current, lost his conciousness at once and his fortitude gone shed tears. As his elder brother did not return, Lakshmana went looking for him and saw his brother plunged in an occean of despair.
Meanwhile king Sugriva and the brave Hanuman also set out from the camp looking for Rama who had not returned. Searching they reached the bank of the river and seeing the withered faces of the brothers they were also were highly distressed.
Hanuman being more discriminating, did not believe that Sita was dead. He was firmly convinced that the daughter of Janaka would not give up life so easily. Being daughter of earth, she was as steadfast as the earth. She would not fall like a branch of a tree in strong winds, but would remain firm like a mountain.
He suspected that the demons were trying to cheat and to test, he lit a pyre without loosing any time and threw the body into it. The very moment an ugly and a screaming demon-damsel leaped up from the pyre. Hanuman, the most powerful, caught her by the hair and pulled her down from the sky. He carried her and offered her to Rama, the wise.
In the meantime Vibhisana came there and seeing the demon-damsel said, 'O noble one, this terrible faced-vile girl by name Benjakayi is my daughter, by whom you have been cheated. Having weighed in my mind this cruel and censurable deed, on account of friendship with you, in truth this daughter of mine deserves to be put to death.'
No comments:
Post a Comment