Ravana enquires about Rama's valour and weaponry for which Shurpanakha narrates about Rama, Seetha, and Lakshmana and what has happened in Janasthaana and prompts Ravana to achieve Seetha as his wife, for none surpasses Seetha in her beauty.
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Then on seeing Shurpanakha speaking bitter words against him in the presence of ministers, Ravana is verily infuriated and questioned her.
"Who is this Rama? How is his bravery? And of what mien and what might he is? And for what reason he entered the highly inscrutable Dandaka forest?
'Why this Rama has to come this far to Dandaka instead of loitering somewhere near Himalayas? Has he come purposefully with any revenge against us, the demons, or is it a pleasure-trip? Why should he leave his ancestral kingdom and enter Dandaka, a stronghold of demons?' This is the real worry of Ravana. kena ca kaaraNena kula parampara aagatam praajyam raajyam parityajya nikhila nishaacara vaaso asmin deshe samaagataH - dk Ravana might be unaware that Dandaka forest also belongs to Ikshvaku-s as Kishkindha belonged to them, as said by Rama at the time of eliminating of Vali.
"What is the weapon of that Rama by whom these many demons are killed in war, also the unkillable Khara is killed and Dushana and Trishira likewise?
This can be simple question 'What is his weapon?' without telling round about as above. But Ravana is weighing arsenal balance since he is self-content a giant-robot namely Kumbhakarna, and one brave and all-trickster son Indrajit with his own ICBMs, ASMs and ASMs, plus his own invincibility. Thereby he said to be puzzled and asking: kaani kaani ca aayudhaani khara mukha nishaacra praaNa haani karaaNi - dk'you said that Rama caused this havoc single-handedly, then he should have used various and numerous weapons by which missiles are flung... because common sense does not permit any belief that one bow can dart numerous arrows or missile, that too when wielded by a single human...'
"That you tell, oh, bewitching bodied one, by whom you are disfigured?" Thus Ravana asked her.
When thus spoken by that king of demons namely Ravana, then that demoness in her fit of fury informed Ravana. Then as per her rationale she commenced to describe Rama,
" His arms are lengthy, eyes broad, and he has jute-cloths and skin of black-deer for his dress... In semblance he that son of Dasharatha is similar to Love-god, his bow with its golden fillets is similar to Indra's Rainbow in sheen, and yanking it out he showered flaring iron arrows that are like the deadly poisonous snakes... that great-mighty one's drawing arrows from out of quiver, his shooting them from bowstring, and darting them...
"Even Rama's stretching his bow I could not see, but I saw the army that is being annihilate on the battleground... and I saw the cloudburst of arrows... Like a rich reap is thrashed out by the hailstorms of Indra... the fourteen thousand demons of fiendish might are killed... Killed are they by those excruciating arrows of that lone foot-soldier in one and half hour, along with Khara and Dushana...
The above is consolidated and said as: saH ayam adhunaa muni jana samucita veShopi dhik kR^ita shakra paraakrame vikrameNa shakra kaarmuka sadR^ikSham caapam aakR^iShya mahaa viShaan aashii viShaan iva rukma punkhaan anukShaNam prakShipan rakSho vikShobhakaram ati bhayankaram ruupam aavahati - - dk
"Accorded is the protection to the sages and Dandaka is restored to safety for their ascetic practises through Rama...
In Dandaka witch-hunting is over and it is calm and collected now. In fact, Ravana intruded into Janasthaana of Dandaka and stationed some army to protect intrusion into Lanka, as his mainstay is castled city Lanka only. Now that the doors to Lanka are wide open Lanka is exposed to an imminent danger. nishaacaraan asankhyaiH rukma punkhaiH vishikhaiH vimadhya shatamakha mukhamakha bhuje akhila tapasvinaH ca nirbhayam vidhaaya danDakaaraNyam api sakala muni jana sharaNyam atanuta - - dk
"Somehow I am the one who is let off by that great-souled one on humiliating me by cutting my nose and ears... may be, Rama is hesitant of woman-slaughter for he is a well-versed soul...
Also his brother, a great-resplendent one who by his trait matches his brother in bravery, and an adherent an a devotee of his brother, and by name that stout-hearted one is Lakshmana... He that Lakshmana is an irritable, invincible victor, and a clever, coercive conqueror, and he always is the right-hand man and the peripherally moving life of Rama...
"But, one with her broad eyes, face similar to a full-moon, is the dear and solemn wife of Rama, and she always delights in the good and benefit of her husband... With her refined hairdo, fine nose, also with fine-looks she is glorious, and she is like a sylvan nymph, and in those woods she is beaming forth like a temporal Goddess Lakshmi...
"Her complexion is in the shade of refined gold, and that auspicious one's nails are rosy and jutting... she with her curvaceous hips and slim waist is Seetha by her name, the daughter of King of Videha... She is not any goddess, nor any female of gandharva-s, or yaksha-s, or kinnaraa-s... such a pretty woman is unseen by me on the surface of earth, previously...
"To whom Seetha becomes wife and with whom she gladly hugs, he lives grandly in all the worlds, even more than Indra... She by her conduct is good, by her physique laudable, by her aspect unequalled... and she will be an appropriate wife of yours, you also will be her best husband...
"She that Seetha is broad-hipped, fatty, bulgy breasted and best faced, and intending to fetch her as your wife I stared up... But, disfigured I am by that cruel Lakshmana, oh, my brother with mighty shoulders... if you see her now, at that Vaidehi with her face lit like a full-moon... To the arrows of Love-god you will become an underling, and if an opinion is set on in you to make her as your wife, quickly upraise your right foot aspiring victory and set it on towards Dandaka...
"Oh, the king of demons, if all of these words of mine are pleasing to you, oh, Ravana, those words of mine be actualized undoubtably... Now on realizing your self-confidence, oh, great-mighty, the deed of abduction of Seetha, the one with an ineffable body, as your wife be accomplished...
"On recognising that Rama with his straight shooting arrows destroyed the night-walkers positioned at Janasthaana and also on distinguishing that Khara and Dushana are also dead, it is apt of you to awake to action..." Thus Shurpanakha earbashed Ravana.
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© July, 2002, Desiraju Hanumanta Rao [Revised : July 04]