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PAUMACARIU
(PART
Rāvana's sister Candranakhā came to the Dandaka forest to witness the fulfilment of the twelve-year austerities of his son Sambu with the acquisition of the magic sword Surahāsa. But seeing him lying beheaded, fristead, she lamented pathetically and took a vow to kill the culprit. Shortly she saw two men; one of them carried a sword. That murderer. But at the sight of these men, thoughts of taking revenge left her and she fell in love with them. She at once appeared before Rāma and Laksmana in the form of a beautiful damsel in distress and proposed to marry one of them. Rāma passed her on to Laksmana who rejected her as her person exhibited inauspicious marks and characteristics. Thereupon Candranakhā revealed her real self.
XXXVII. Sandhi. Candran a k ha's report to Khara
and Düşana. Battle with Laksmana. Triśiras killed.
She assumed a hideous form of demoniac proportions and threatened to swallow them, but frightened at the Sürahāsa sword raised by Lakşmaņa, she ran to her husbands Khara and Dūşana and reported how Sambukumāra was killed and she was molested by two strangers in the forest. Much aggrieved by these news, Khara, against the advise of Düşaņa, marched forth to punish the culprits. Düşaņa sent a message to Rävaņa regarding these developments. Khara challenged Laksmana. Telling Rāma to guard Sitä and come to his help only when he heard a lion-roar from him, Laksmana faced Khara. In the first round of battle he cut off the three heads of Trisiras.
XXXVIII. Sandhi. Rāvan a abducts Sitä.
Tempted by the mention of a beautiful damsel in the message that arrived from Dūşaņa, Răvaşa came in his aerial car to the Dandaka forest. He admired the prowess of Laksmana who single-handed faced a whole army. Seeing Sītä he was at once infatuated by her extraordinary beauty. He ordered the magic power Avalokani to suggest some trick for abducting Sītā. She tried to dissuade him but failed. Then taking advantage of the understanding between Rāma and Lakşmaņa, Avalokanī sent forth a lion-roar from the battle field, and at once Rāma rushed, disregarding illomens, to help Laksmana, thinking that he was in trouble.
He saw Lakşmaņa victoriously slaughtering the opponents on the battle-field. The latter told him he never made the lion-roar, and suspecting some foul play, he advised Rāma to return at once to Sītā.
Here Rāvana carried off Sītā. Jatayin attacked him with beak and claws but fell at a powerful sword blow from Rāvana. Sita's lament and cries for help. Hearing these, a certain Vidyadhara, loyal to Bhāmandala, happening to pass that way, attacked Rāvana, but evertually the latter
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