Listening to her yells, Trishira, Khur, and Dushan* came to help her with fourteen thousand demons.

“Look at my nose and ears,” she said to them, “There live three human beings — two males and one female. The man, who called himself Lakshman, has disfigured me at the instigation of his brother and sister-in-law. You must now go there and cut off their heads and guts, so that I may drink their blood and refresh myself with it.”

Trishira, Khur, and Dushan, having thought it below their dignity to go and fight with those human beings, selected fourteen powerful demons and sent them to Panchavati with Surpanakha. But Rama cut off their heads with one arrow. Surpanakha fled in alarm and informed Trishira, Khur, and Dushan of what had happened.

Whereupon they marched against Rama with an army of demons, but they were also killed by the prince with his arrow in a moment. Surpanakha fled to Lanka in consternation and, showing her nose and ears to her brother, Ravana, informed him that Trishira, Khur, and Dushan had been killed by Rama with fourteen thousand demons.

Ravana was greatly alarmed at the sad news and, having called upon his uncle Maricha, said to him, “You see, Rama has killed Trishira, Khur, and Dushan, and disfigured Surpanakha. If this enemy is allowed to go unnoticed, he will even kill me one day or other. I have therefore made up my mind to carry off Sita, his wife, to Lanka and kill Rama and Lakshman. Please, therefore, be a beautiful harin and frolic at the parnakutika of Rama; and when he comes with his dhanushaban to kill you, run to the heart of the forest. Rama will pursue you; and as soon as he is separated from Sita, I shall carry her off to Lanka.”

“It is sinful to covet one’s wife,” replied Maricha*, “and if you carry her off, you will lose your life and everything. I therefore advise you to change your mind and attend to your affairs.”

At this advice, Ravana got enraged and said, “It is a bad thing to advise me that way. It is your duty to help me on such occasions. I therefore command you to come with me and do what I tell you to do.” Whereupon Maricha accompanied Ravana to Panchavati with the greatest reluctance.

On their arrival there, Ravana stood behind a thicket near the abode of Rama, and his uncle, forming himself into a stag, played tricks in front of it. Sita saw the stag and said to Rama, “Dearest, look at that stag — what a beautiful creature it is. I wish I could get its skin for my waistcoat*. Please take this dhanushaban and kill it for me, so that I may have its skin for my waistcoat.”

To comply with the wishes of his wife, Rama took up his dhanushaban and aimed at the stag. The animal began to run, and Rama went after it. When he went far off from the parnakutika, Ravana, who was standing behind the thicket unobserved, imitated the voice of Rama and cried out, with a view to separate Lakshman from Sita, “Lakshman, help me! Lakshman, help me! I am in distress!”

Sita heard this voice and said to Lakshman in alarm, “Rama is in distress. I have just heard him cry out for help.”

“You need not be afraid,” said Lakshman. “None can hurt Rama. I am sure some demon has done the mischief with some bad motive.”

“Is this your affection towards your brother?” exclaimed Sita. “While Rama is actually in distress, you refuse to help him. I think you wish your brother’s death and marry me after him.”

At this accusation, Lakshman shed tears and, having drawn a line around the parnakutika with his dhanushaban, said to her, “I am now going to help Rama. Look at this line. I beg you not to go behind it, and if you go, you will be in distress.”

So saying, Lakshman left the parnakutika with his dhanushaban. When he went far off, Ravana disguised himself as a fakir, a mendicant, peeped at Sita through the door of the hut and cried out in a plaintive tone, “Is there anybody in? I am a fakir here and dying of hunger. It will be a great meritorious act if someone comes out and gives me something to eat.”

Sita, who was full of kindness, came out and said, “Please sit down there. Rama will be presently here; and as soon as he comes, he will attend to your wants.”

“I shall not live until Rama comes here. If you now give me something to eat, I shall bless you.”

So saying, he threw himself on the ground and pretended to be worse. Sita was alarmed and left the line to give him succor, when Ravana immediately caught hold of her and said, “Do not be alarmed, I am Ravana, the king of Lanka. I am now going to take you to my kingdom, quietly follow me.”

Sita rolled on the ground and violently cried, imploring him to leave her where she was. Her tears and entreaties did not move him in the least. He seated her in a chariot and set out for Lanka. Until next time, Jai Shree Ram!

|| OM SAI SHRI SAI JAI JAI SAI || 

|| SHRI SATCHIDANANDA SADGURU SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI ||

Note: This narration is based on Ramavijaya: The Mythological History of Rama (Bombay, 1891, Dubhashi & Co.), a public domain text shared here for free reading.

*The Ramavijaya version merges several demon battles (Khur, Dushan, Trishira) and Sita’s abduction sequence differently than Valmiki Ramayana.

*In the classical version, Maricha transforms into the golden deer; Ravana executes the abduction after Lakshman leaves; but the tone here is much more direct and folkloric.

*The “waistcoat skin” and “Rama’s voice imitation” are consistent with regional tellings and devotional oral versions from Maharashtra and Gujarat.