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Mandodari, persuading Sitä
No woman ever likes to share her husband with another woman, but Mandodari was a devoted and chaste woman, who considered the happiness of her husband the most important. Inspite of the fact that Mandodari was a sati- high born and belonged to a noble family, she went over to entice Sita, so that her husband would be happy. On seeing Sitā, she said, "O Noble Aryan woman, I am Mandodari, the most beloved consort of the mightiest Rāvana. You are indeed a fortunate woman, because you have bewitched my husband. He, who strikes the terror in the hearts of dieties, planets, yakṣās and demons, is mad in love with you. If you accept his love, I shall be indebted to you not only in this life, but also in the lives to come. I shall be your slave for ever and ever."
Hearing this, the livid Sita replied, "Can there be a comparison between a lion, the lord of jungle and a fox, the slave of greed: I have been married to noble Rāma, who surpasses Cupid in handsomeness and the most virtuous person in virtue. How can I ever respond to your husband's pleas, who is nothing but a slave to his passion. Your husband desires that I be his wife ! and you.... you have the nerve, the audacity to come here as his envoy, go away, for your presence here will destroy my virtue, go.... go away at once." After this, Rāvana visited Sitā many times. At times he courteously expressed his desire, at times he spoke with terror in his trembling voice. He tried his best to convince Sita, yet she remained unaffected by his approach. Then
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Rāvana created the illusions of scary owls, cats, evil spirits like pisaca, vetāla and preta by using sorcery, but he neither succeeded in distracting her, nor could he strike terror in her heart. Sita prayed the pañcaparameṣṭhi in her heart. She never thought of anything besides the parhcaparamesthi, dharma and her spouce.
When Bibhiṣaṇa heard that Ravana was enamoured by Sita and had abducted her, he decided to meet her. The next morning, he met Sitā and after greeting her, he said, "O aryan woman, your divine beauty and impeccable etiquetts testify your noble birth. Whose daughter are you? Who is the worthy man, whom you have married? Where
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