Faced with the persistent wickedness before him, Mārīca spoke with resignation, “What more can I do with you, so bent on evil? I leave you now, O night-wanderer—may you fare well.” But these words only delighted the demon Rāvaṇa. Overjoyed, Rāvaṇa embraced Mārīca tightly and said, “Now you possess true courage, acting just as I wish! You are truly Mārīca now, and not the demon you once were.” Eager, Rāvaṇa gestured to a chariot, swift as a bird and adorned with splendid jewels, its yoke held by donkeys with ghastly faces. “Mount this chariot with me,” he urged. “After enticing Vaidehī, you may leave as you wish. In that deserted place, I will seize Sītā, princess of Mithilā, by force.” Agreeing to this, Mārīca, son of Tāṭakā, spoke to Rāvaṇa, and together they boarded the resplendent chariot, which soared through the sky like a flying palace. Swiftly, they departed from the circle of hermitages, passing over cities and forests, beholding mountains, rivers, realms, and towns. At last, they arrived in the Daṇḍaka forest, drawing near to Rāghava’s hermitage. There, Rāvaṇa, lord of the rākṣasas, stood beside Mārīca. Dismounting from the golden chariot, Rāvaṇa took Mārīca by the hand and pointed, “Here is Rāma’s hermitage, surrounded by banana trees. Friend, quickly do that for which we have come.” Hearing Rāvaṇa’s command, Mārīca, master of illusion, transformed himself into a deer of wondrous and astonishing beauty. His horns gleamed with the finest jewels, his face was both white and black, his mouth resembled a red lotus, and his ears were like blue lotuses. His neck arched gracefully, his belly shone like blue sapphire, and his flanks glowed like honey-colored flowers and lotus filaments. His hooves sparkled like beryl, his slender legs were perfectly formed, and his radiant tail shimmered with the colors of Indra’s rainbow. Adorned with many gems and glossy hues, Mārīca became a deer of supreme beauty, illuminating the lovely forest and Rāma’s hermitage. To entice Vaidehī, he wandered gracefully across the green meadows, his body sparkling with minerals and marked with hundreds of silvery spots. He nibbled tender leaves, moving among groves of banana and kārṇikāra trees, lingering with gentle steps, awaiting Sītā’s gaze. With a back patterned like a lotus, Mārīca shone near Rāma’s hermitage, wandering at ease. Sometimes he would dart away, only to return swiftly; sometimes he frolicked on the ground, then sat quietly, mingling with the herds of deer at the hermitage gate. The other deer followed him, yet he always turned back, longing for Sītā’s eyes to fall upon him. He traced dazzling patterns as he moved, and all the forest deer gazed at him in wonder. Some approached and sniffed him, then scattered in all directions, while Mārīca, delighting in the hunt, mingled with them. Yet, to conceal his true nature, he did not eat, though he touched them. At that very moment, Sītā, Vaidehī of lovely eyes, was gathering flowers among the trees—karnikara, ashoka, and mango—her gaze intoxicating. As she wandered, collecting blossoms, she beheld the magical deer: its limbs adorned with pearls and gems, its teeth and lips gleaming, its silvery, metallic hair shining in the sunlight. Astonished, her eyes widened as she gazed with affection at the wondrous creature. The magical deer, too, looked upon Rāma’s beloved, illuminating the forest with his radiant form. Sītā, daughter of Janaka, was filled with utmost wonder at the sight of this never-before-seen, many-gemmed deer. Now, listen to the next chapter in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Araṇyakāṇḍa. As Sītā, she of lovely hips, gathered flowers, she beheld the deer, its sides shining with hues of gold and silver. Delighted and flawless in form, radiant as polished gold, she called out for her husband and for Lakṣmaṇa, the armed one. Again and again she called, her eyes fixed on the enchanting deer: “Come, come quickly, O noble one, with your younger brother!” Summoned by Vaidehī, the two tigers among men, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, looked about and saw the marvelous deer. At the sight, Lakṣmaṇa, his mind alert, spoke with suspicion, “I think this deer is none other than Mārīca, the demon. Roaming the forest, delighting in the hunt, this shape-shifting demon has slain kings, O Rāma. This is the illusion of a master of illusion—this deer form, shining like a Gandharva city, is his doing, O tiger among men.