Mounting his magnificent chariot, gleaming with gold and precious gems and yoked to horses whose faces resembled fierce goblins, Rāvaṇa, the illustrious lord of the rākṣasas and brother of Kubera, prepared to depart. The chariot, adorned with golden ornaments and able to move at his will, thundered as he set out, its roar echoing like the sound of storm clouds. Ten-headed Rāvaṇa, resplendent beneath a white royal umbrella and whisk, shone with the brilliance of smooth beryl, his form embellished with heated gold ornaments. With twenty powerful arms and ten heads, he appeared as a mountain crowned with ten peaks—an awe-inspiring sight, the enemy of the gods and slayer of sages. Seated in his wondrous chariot, Rāvaṇa radiated like a storm cloud flashing with lightning across the sky. As he journeyed, he surveyed the vast regions of mountains, seas, and shores. His gaze fell upon thousands of trees, each heavy with blossoms and fruit, and beautiful lotus ponds whose waters were cool and auspicious. Spacious hermitages with altars dotted the land, nestled among groves of plantains and shining coconut trees, with sāla, tāla, tamāla, and other trees in full bloom. The landscape was graced by great sages, utterly restrained in their consumption of food, and by thousands of nāgas, suparṇas, gandharvas, and kinnaras. Siddhas and cāraṇas who had conquered desire, along with ājas, vaikhānasas, māṣas, vālakhilyas, and marīcipas, enhanced the sanctity of the region. Apsarases, radiant in divine ornaments and garlands, of celestial beauty and skilled in the arts of play and ritual, surrounded the area. The illustrious wives of the gods attended there, revering the place, and it was frequented by hosts of gods and asuras who partook of ambrosia. Swans, cranes, waterfowl, and joyful sarasa birds filled the ponds, whose banks sparkled with smooth beryl stones and the brilliance of the ocean. All around, vast and pale-white aerial palaces adorned with divine garlands resounded with music and song. Rāvaṇa beheld gandharvas and apsarases moving freely as they pleased, beings who had conquered the worlds through their austerities. He saw gentle forests of sandalwood trees, thousands in number, their roots exuding fragrant resin, pleasing to the senses. There were groves of the finest agaru trees, takkolas, jātis, and other fruit-bearing, aromatic species. The flowers of tamāla, thickets of marica, and clusters of pearls drying on the riverbank caught his eye. He beheld excellent mountains, heaps of coral, and peaks of gold and silver, along with charming, clear springs and wondrous lands rich in wealth and grain, filled with women of rare beauty. As he continued, he observed cities crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots, the land everywhere level and lush, caressed by gentle breezes. In the marshes of the Sindhu king, he saw a place like heaven. There stood a vast banyan tree, dark as a cloud, surrounded by sages. Its branches stretched a hundred yojanas in every direction. From its mighty limbs, an elephant and a great-bodied turtle were taken up. For the sake of food, the mighty Garuḍa, king of birds, alighted upon a branch. With his immense weight, Garuḍa broke the branch, thick with leaves, where the Vaikhānasas, Māṣas, Vālakhilyas, and Marīcipas were gathered. The great sages, grey and assembled, appeared as goats, and for their sake, Garuḍa took the branch, a hundred yojanas long. Swiftly, he carried the broken branch along with both the elephant and the tortoise, and standing on one foot, ate their flesh. Having destroyed the territory of the Niṣādas with the branch, Garuḍa, the foremost of birds, attained incomparable joy, having freed the great sages. Filled with delight, his strength doubled, and the wise one resolved in his mind to bring the nectar. Rāvaṇa, the brother of the Lord of Wealth, saw the banyan tree named Subhadra, marked by Suparṇa and frequented by hosts of great sages. Having crossed to the far shore of the ocean, lord of rivers, he saw a hermitage in a secluded, holy, and beautiful part of the forest. There, he found Mārīca, the rākṣasa, dressed in black antelope skin, with matted locks, disciplined in food. Rāvaṇa approached Mārīca properly and was honored by him with all manner of human enjoyments. Mārīca welcomed him personally with food and water, then spoke with purpose: "Is all well with you, O king, lord of the rākṣasas in Laṅkā? For what purpose have you come here so quickly again?" Thus addressed, Rāvaṇa, radiant and skilled in speech, replied: "Mārīca, listen, dear one, to my words as I speak; I am afflicted, and for one in distress, you are the highest refuge. You know Janasthāna, where my brother Khara, the mighty Dūṣaṇa, and my sister Śūrpaṇakhā dwell. There is also Triśiras, the mighty, flesh-eating rākṣasa, and many other valiant night-wanderers, skilled in their aim.