Steadfast in righteousness and unwavering in his vows, Rāma entered the Daṇḍaka forest, and thus, because of Kaikeyī, all three of us—Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and I—were cast out from the kingdom. O best of Brāhmaṇas, with strength and resolve, we wander through this deep and wild forest. If you wish, you may rest here for a while. My husband will soon return, bringing abundant fare from the forest. Having slain deer, iguanas, and boars, he will bring back plentiful meat. So, tell me truly—what is your name, your lineage, and your family? For what purpose do you, O Brāhmaṇa, wander alone in the daunting Daṇḍaka forest? As I, Sītā, wife of Rāma, was speaking these words, the mighty lord of the Rākṣasas, Rāvaṇa, cast aside his disguise and replied to me harshly. "I am Rāvaṇa, the one by whom the worlds—gods, asuras, and humans alike—are filled with terror, O Sītā. I am the lord of the Rākṣasas. "Seeing you, faultless one, with golden complexion and clad in silk, I find no pleasure in my own wives. Among the many excellent women I have gathered from far and wide, let all be well with you—become my chief queen. My great city is Laṅkā, set in the midst of the ocean, encircled by the sea and established atop a mountain. "There, O Sītā, you will wander with me through pleasant groves, and you will no longer yearn for this forest exile. Five thousand maidservants, adorned with every ornament, will attend upon you, Sītā, if you become my wife." But when Rāvaṇa spoke thus, I, Janaka’s daughter, flawless in form, became angry. Disregarding the rākṣasa, I replied with scorn, "I am devoted to Rāma, who is unshakable like a great mountain, majestic as Mahendra, and unfathomable as the vast ocean. I am devoted to Rāma, who possesses all auspicious marks, whose form is like a banyan tree, steadfast in truth and noble in character. "I am devoted to Rāma, whose arms are mighty, whose chest is broad, who strides with the gait of a lion—a lion among men, whose very appearance is leonine. I am devoted to Rāma, whose face is like the full moon, a royal scion who has mastered his senses, whose fame is widespread, and whose arms are powerful. "You are like a jackal desiring a lioness, which is unattainable; you cannot touch me, just as one cannot grasp the radiance of the sun. You must surely see many golden trees, O fool, since you desire the beloved wife of Rāghava. You wish to snatch the fangs from a hungry lion, the swift enemy of deer, or to seize the jaws of a venomous serpent. "You wish to lift Mandara, the foremost mountain, with your hand, or to drink deadly poison and emerge unharmed. You rub your eye with a needle and lick a razor with your tongue, for you desire to possess the beloved wife of Rāghava. You wish to swim across the ocean with a stone tied to your neck, or to seize the sun and the moon with your hands. "You who wish to violate Rāma’s beloved wife desire to snatch blazing fire with a cloth upon seeing it. You who wish to seize Rāma’s virtuous wife desire to walk upon the tips of iron spears, for you seek a wife equal to Rāma. "The distance between a lion and a jackal in the forest, between a river and the ocean, between the finest wine and ordinary liquor—that is the distance between Daśaratha’s son and you. The distance between gold and lead and iron, between sandalwood, water, and mud, between elephants and donkeys in the forest—that is the distance between Daśaratha’s son and you. "While Rāma, radiant as the thousand-eyed Indra, stands with bow and arrow in hand, even if I am taken from him, I shall not weaken with age—just as clarified butter, when swallowed by a fly, is not diminished." Thus, with pure intent, I spoke those words to the night-wandering demon, though he was wicked. Yet, trembling in my limbs, I became distressed, slender as a banana plant shaken by the wind. Observing me thus, Rāvaṇa—whose presence was as dreadful as death—began to recount his lineage, strength, name, and deeds, seeking to instill fear. Listen now to the forty-eighth chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, in the Aranya Kāṇḍa. As I spoke thus, Rāvaṇa, angered, furrowed his brow and replied to me with harsh words. "O woman of noble complexion, I am Rāvaṇa, the rival brother of Vaiśravaṇa, known as Daśagrīva, mighty in power—may you fare well. "The gods, Gandharvas, spirits, birds, and serpents always flee from me in fear, just as all creatures flee from death. My brother Vaiśravaṇa, though born of a different mother, was challenged by me out of anger for another reason; I confronted him in battle and conquered him. "Afflicted by fear of me, he abandoned his own splendid abode and now dwells upon the foremost mountain, Kailāsa, riding his celestial vehicle. That splendid aerial chariot called Puṣpaka, which travels at will, was won by me through my valor, O gentle one; with it, I traverse the sky. "When I am angered, O daughter of Mithilā, merely seeing my face causes the gods, led by Indra, to scatter in terror. Wherever I stand, the wind blows hesitantly; the sun's rays grow fierce, and the moon's rays become cool, all out of fear in the heavens. Wherever I am present or move, the trees stand still without shaking their leaves, and the rivers become motionless in their waters. "Beyond the ocean lies my splendid city called Laṅkā, filled with fierce rākṣasas, just as Amarāvatī is filled with immortals for Indra.