Rama understood her purpose. He realized that she had
only an appearance of quality, and was really cheap and
shameless. He remained silent. Whereupon, unable to
decide whether he was encouraging or discouraging, she
confirmed, "Not knowing that you were here, I was wasting
my youth and beauty in serving ascetics and sages. Now
that I have found you, my womanhood can have its own
fulfillment."
Rama felt a pity for her, and, not wanting to seem hostile,
tried to argue her out of her purpose. Overcoming his
revulsion, he said, "I am of the warrior class, you are a
brahmin, and I cannot marry you." She had an immediate
answer for this."Oh, if that is your only objection to me, then my ebbing
hopes are buoyed. Please know that my mother was of the
asura class; and for a woman of that class, union with all
castes is permissible."
Rama was still calm when he mentioned his second
objection: "I am a human, and you are of the rakshasa class;
and I cannot marry you."
Undaunted, she replied, "I humbly remind you, as I have
already mentioned, that I have no mind to remain in our
class, but am seeking the company of saints and sages; oh,
you, who look like Vishnu himself, I should no longer be
considered to belong to Ravana's family or to be his sister; I
have already told you that. If that's all your objection, then I
have hope."
Rama still felt kindly toward her, and said without irritation
or acerbity, with a touch of lightheartedness, "After all, a
bride of your class should be presented properly, when she
happens to be a sister of men of eminence such as Kubera
and Ravana. You should not be offering yourself like this in
matrimony."
"When two persons meet and inwardly have attained
union, there is no need for elders to take any formal part in
such a marriage. It's sanctioned under Gandharva rites.
Also, my brothers are hostile to ascetics, and stop at nothing
when they want to fight them; they observe no rules or
disciplines under those circumstances; you are alone andyou wear the robes of ascetics, and if they see you, nothing
can stop them from attacking you. But if they realize that we
are married like Gandharvas, they will relent, be kind to you,
and even adopt you and confer on you honours and wealth
and overlordship of several worlds … think of it."
At this Rama was amused and remarked, "Ah, is this one
way in which the fruits of my penance and sacrifices are to
be realized—achieve the grace of rakshasas, gain domestic
bliss through your company, and all the conquests thereof?"
She noted his smile, but missed the irony and was about to
say something else when she noted that there was another
woman in the picture. Sita had just emerged from the
cottage. At the sight of her, Kamavalli looked stunned. She
scrutinized the vision inch by inch and was filled with the
profoundest admiration as well as despair. If that beautiful
creature was the occupant of the cottage, there was no hope
for her. She demanded bluntly, "Who is this?" Sita's
radiance seemed to precede her actual arrival. Kamavalli
had first noticed the light and only then had she seen Sita
engulfed in that effulgence. Her jaw fell at this spectacle; for
a moment she lost herself in gazing on this pair whose
beauty complemented each other; if there was anywhere in
creation a male with the perfection of attributes, to be
matched by a perfect female, here it was. Kamavalli
momentarily forgot her own infatuation in the spell cast by the
presence of this pair. But it was only a fleeting distraction.
Her passion soon revived. She assumed that Sita too wasone who had sneaked up to Rama on some forest path and
attached herself to him. She could not be this man's wife, as
no wife would care to face the hardship of a forest existence.
He must surely have left his wife, if he had one, back at
home, and now lived with this woman in the forest.
Kamavalli said to Rama very seriously, "Great one! Don't
let this creature come near you. Don't be misled by her
appearance, it's not her own, she has assumed it through
black art. Actually she is a rakshasa woman; drive her off
before she does you any harm. This forest is full of such
deceivers."
She might well have been confessing this of herself—her
own normal appearance being that of a demon with wild,
matted hair, flame-coloured fang-like teeth, enormous
stature, and a belly swollen with the meat and blood of
animals she had gorged on in her never-ending gluttony. Her
name was Soorpanaka. Her brother Ravana had assigned
this Dandaka forest as her own domain, leaving her free to
live here as she pleased, assisted by a number of ruthless
demons led by Kara—the fiercest devil ever conceived.
Here she held her court and ravaged the forests. In the
course of her wanderings, she saw Rama and fell in love and
decided to seduce him by every art in her power. As a first
step, through certain incantations, she transformed herself
into a comely maiden. Now, when she warned Rama of
Sita's true nature as she imagined it, he began to laugh and remarked, "Ah, how true! No one can deceive you, being
yourself so transparent! Your piercing perception is truly
admirable; nothing can escape your eyes. Look well now at
this sorceress at my side, so that she may realize who she
is."
Taking him at his word, Soorpanaka glared at Sita fiercely
and shouted, "Get out! Who are you? You have no business
to disturb us, when I'm engaged in a private talk with my
lover. Be gone!" In her anger, her real tone and personality
came through unconcealed. At the sight of it, Sita shook with
fright and ran to Rama's arms and clung to him. This further
enraged Soorpanaka, who moved towards her with a
menacing gesture.