Hanumanji witnesses Ravan’s conversation with Sitaji
Nija pada nayana diĕ mana rāma pada kamala līna,
Parama dukhī bhā pavanasuta dekhi Jānakī dīna
Hanumanji saw that Maa Janaki looked very unhappy. Her eyes are continuously looking at her feet. There are several meanings behind her doing this. Firstly, Maa Sita does not want to see anything else because her current state is due to her seeing and falling for the gold deer. Also, Sitaji is meditating on Lord Ram’s feet by concentrating on her feet because the signs on her and Lord Ram’s feet are similar. The only difference is that the symbols on the left foot of Maa Sita are on the right foot of Lord Ram and vice versa.
Hanumanji was sad to see the unhappy state of Maa Sita. He began to wonder how he could rid her of this state.
At that time, Ravan arrived in Ashok gardens with Mandodari and his other wives.
Tehi avasara rāvanu tahă āvā, sanga nāri bahu kiĕ banāvā;
Bahu bidhi khala sītahi samujhāvā, sāma dāna bhaya bheda dekhāvā
Cruel Ravan tried to convince Sitaji in many ways that if she looks at Ravan even once, he will make his wives her maids and her, a queen.
“Look, I have kidnapped you and that ascetic hasn’t even bothered asking about you!” said Ravan.
Sitaji replied to Ravan but did not even look at him.
Tṛna dhari oṭa kahati baidehī, sumiri avadhapati parama sanehī
Sitaji held a blade of grass in between as she spoke to Ravan. The blade of grass is firstly, a sign of decency as she speaks to a husband of another woman. Secondly, Sitaji is indirectly telling Ravan that you can shout as much as you like but you are equivalent to this blade of grass to me; I am not scared of you.
Sitaji said, “Dashanan, a lotus flower cannot bloom in the glow of a firefly”, meaning, Lord Ram is the sun, Sitaji, a lotus flower and Ravan is a mere firefly. Ravan felt insulted and as he pulled his sword out, he shouted,
Sītā taĭ mama kṛta apamānā, kaṭihaῠ tava sira kaṭhina kṛpānā.
“Sita, you have insulted me! I will cut your head off with my relentless sword!”
The tree Hanumanji was on began to shake as Hanumanji was angry. He was about to jump on Ravan and kill him should he try to hit Sitaji, when Mandodari held Ravan’s arm to stop him. The way Mandodari looked at Ravan stopped him suddenly. Ravan then said, “Sita! if you do not come round in one month, I will chop you into pieces with this Chandrahas and feed you to the demons!”
Then he turned to the female demons, ordered them to harass Sitaji and left.
When the female demons started to harass Sitaji, Trijata, a female demon who had become Sitaji’s friend, refused them to do so and told them, “I had a dream last night that a monkey came to Lanka and burnt down the whole city.”
Hanumanji thought that Jambavan had advised to come to Lanka but he had not mentioned about burning it. Now that Trijata has had this dream, I must fulfil it!
Trijata continued to say that this was followed by the arrival of Lord Ram’s army who killed all the demons and the kingdom was taken over by Lord Ram. Thus, she advised the female demons to stop harassing Sitaji otherwise they would also be killed. The female devotees ran away in fear.
Trijata then came to Sitaji and said, “See Maa, I am with you. I have stopped them”.
Sitaji said, “my friend, please bring me some firewood and fire. I want to burn this body as I can’t bear the separation from God anymore.”
“You can’t get fire at this time,” replied Trijata and left.