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CHAPTER SIX Indra of wonderful beauty, afflicted with a desire for dalliance, she asked him and my husband scorned her. She went away and a large army of Rakşases came. Lakşmaņa agreed on a lion's roar as a sign of distress and went to fight. A Rākşasa gave a false lion's roar, led my husband far away, seized me for his own destruction, evil-minded.”
After hearing this, Bibhīşaņa bowed to Rävaņa and said : "This action which you have committed, master, is a disgrace to the family. Before Käkutstha comes here with his brother to kill us, take Sītā and release her in his presence.” Rāvaņa, red-eyed from anger at this speech, said: "What's this you say? Do you, timid, forget my valor? For Sītā, having been pacified, necessarily will be my wife. I shall kill the wretches, Rāma and Lakşmaņa, if they come.” Bibhişaņa said: “Brother, the speech of the astrologer was true, that our family would be destroyed on account of Sītā, wife of Rāma. Otherwise, how can you disdain the speech of me, a devoted brother? How has Daśaratha, killed by me, lived so long? Even if a future event can not be otherwise, nevertheless, long-armed one, you are requested: Free Sitā who is the destroyer of our family.”
Just as if he had not heard Bibhīşaņa's speech, he put Sītā in Puşpaka and, wandering, showed her: "These are pleasure-mountains with peaks of jewels and sweet cascades. These groves resemble the garden Nandana. These are bath-houses with showers of anything desired. These are pleasure-rivers with hansas, lady with a harsawalk. These are pleasure-houses resembling bits of heaven. Play with me in these wherever you wish, fair-browed lady." Meditating on Rāma's lotus-feet, like a hańsī, the daughter of Janaka, like the earth in firmness, was not shaken at all by his speech. After wandering about for a long time in all the charming places, Daśānana released Jānaki again in the grove of aśokas.
17B
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