Sita was morally upright amidst all evil influences .This shows resoluteness. The lesson to be learned is that we should be resolute against influences of corruption and immorality.
This episode shows that we may do anything and violate all moral cannons and even commit worst crimes, if we remain slaves to our passions and cravings, though our actions may spell disaster to us. .  We may destroy our selves with least awareness that we are moving towards silent death and destruction.

Just by listening to Sita’s beauty by her sister, Ravana’s passion for sita was aroused to its height and wanted to possess Sita immediately   He missed no time to hatch a plan for abducting Sita from the hermitage where they were camping .

After quick consultations with his courtiers he met his maternal uncle Mareecha, who had once fled away for life in fight with Rama, when he mutilated Soorpanika. Ravana thundered that his mind and so also fame of demonic race were shattered. They had become laughing stock for Gods. . He then narrated the incident. Though Mareecha at first cautioned him on his move, later agreed to his plan under threat to his life. Mareecha knew that there was no escape, that it was risky and consoled himself  feeling that it was  better die in  the hands of divine hands of Rama than  living under perpetual  threat and humiliation  from his nephew Ravana..  This implies that we should be prepared to sacrifice anything precious to us, if it is atonement to our past sins and if it can make us to be a better person. We should also be open minded, welcome criticism of our actions and improve upon our life, particularly if the suggestions come persons interested in our welfare and if they aid in   our growth and development .  We should be able to sense whether the person who criticizes us have genuine concern for us.  Often we reject stock and barrel, the ideas whether they are sane or not, as Ravana responded to his uncle Mareech’s advice.
Ravana was a renowned scholar by any standard. He was versatile in all Vedas and sastras. He had great yogic powers. He kept evey one including all demons, Gods and others under his control at some point of time or other. . He had miraculous or extraordinary powers. He could summon seasons, seas and so on to behave as he wanted.  He had the boon that no one including Gods, except human beings could kill him. He wielded absolute authority power over kings who were his vassals. He was generous towards those who were loyal and acquiescent towards him. Side by side with these virtues he possessed several vices like weakness for women. excessive indulgence in worldly pleasures , ruthlessness, pretentions, snobbishness , arrogance , impatience, lack of sense of fairness and justice, being partisan , lack of concern for peace  , being cruel and ruthless, sadistic tendencies ( being happy while torturing others) hatred , vengeance  and so on which are the very embodiment of  Rashasas or Demons .Compared to Ravana , Rama  was embodiment of virtues .Though Ravana had certain virtues , those were eclipsed by vices . In other words those virtues were in a dormant state and the vices ruled his life. Ravana had to pay with his life because of his vices .Virtues are human strengths and vices are human weaknesses. If virtues present human health, vices represent diseases. We should cultivate virtues in place of vices and make our lives sacred, the real goal of our lives. It is the duty of thoughtful persons to guide their breathern who have fallen in their moral values to guide them through right way of living.

 In all of us there is gold mine of virtues, but it is buried deep under the debris of vices. Our conduct in life may be ruled by vices.  The point to be noted is that we should lead virtuous life, taking care to check evil tendencies in us   for our enduring happiness and that of the other people.

 They worked out the plan to abduct Sita. Mareecha would appear as Golden deer which would attract Sita’s attention. Sita she would want to have it and would ask Rama to catch it. Rama would run after it leaving Sita, with Lakahmana   to guard her.  Lakshmana would also leave Sita to rescue Rama, when he hears Mareecha’s imitating Rama’s voice and call for Lakshmana for help. At that time Ravana would abduct Sita. This plan was well executed. Mareecha appeared as golden deer in the premises of the cottage where Rama stayed. . Sita fascinated by the brilliance of the deer was bent upon getting that deer for her to fondle and pressurized Rama to catch it. We fondle children and ruin them rather than making them self disciplined. Rama asking Lakshmana to protect Sita went to catch the deer. The deer   with magical power moved further and further away when Rama chased it. Rama was quite a distance away from his cottage. Rama shot an arrow at it. While dying Mareecha cried with shill voice imitating the voice of Rama called Lakshmana for help. Sita mistook that her lord Rama was in danger and called for help. Lakshmana was sure that no one could harm him. Though he assured Sita, she was in mood to hear that. She was bent upon Lakhsmana to go and see. She even declared that she accused Lakshmana as having no attachment to his brother. 

Her accusations pierced Lakshmana’s heart like the arrow. He told Sita not to stir from the cottage and left in search of Rama. At that opportune moment Ravana appeared before the cottage in the guise of an old saint. . Sita being hospitable welcomed the saint respectfully, not knowing it was a trap led by Ravana. She invited him to her cottage and extended traditional hospitality. As soon as Ravana entered their cottage ,  he lifted  Sita and put her in his aircraft  called ‘Puspak ‘ which he had appropriated from Lord Indra and  flew towards Lanka  , inspite  all resistance offered by Sita .He lifted Sita without touching her , the reason being that he was cursed to die the moment  he touched a women  against her will . . On the way he was met with Jadayu, the giant Eagle, old friend Rama’s father Dasaratha.

There was fierce fighting between them in Jadayu’s attempt to rescue sita. Jadayu had promised to protect them in their forest life, when Rama met him for the first time .However Jadayu could not win, though he could   bombard his aircraft with his mighty wings. In the process Ravana chopped off its wings. Jadayu was lying on the ground soaked in blood and coming nearer to his end , just waiting for Rama, out of his will, to give news about Ravana’s abduction of Sita , before  breathing his last.  Jadayu’s ability to stay alive till Rama was communicated about the where about of Sita demonstrates that divine grace can shield one from facing mishaps.

It is commonly believed that in the case of those who are noble the severity of the mishaps which everyone is to face , as per the laws of nature, is bound to  get reduced . When we find a person who escaped with minor injuries in a major accident, we use to say that what should have affected eye, affected only eye brow by the grace of God. The golden deer was an illusion, not real one. In spite of Sita’s divine nature, she was entrapped in illusion. When that is the case, we can image how vulnerable are lesser souls like us to illusions or wrong understanding or superstitions or ‘called ‘avidhya ‘in Sanskrit. . We do live with illusions or false perceptions and our actons are guided by false perceptions. For instance, we believe that we can be happy by amassing wealth and chasing comforts, luxuries and sense pleasures, although it may not be true .we find crimes like murders are committed not always for money, but because of other reasons like hatred, misunderstanding, prejudice, mental disease called paranoia or excessive suspicion and schizophrenia  or hallucinations  emotional disturbance, infidelity, friction in the family , influence of alcoholic drinks and  psychedelic drugs and so on , which  have nothing to do with money .

Atrocities against women, which we find in our society, are not due to monetary reasons, but many other non-monetary reasons. Those who are physically strong and/ or rich or those who are habituated to alcoholic drinks might feel elated   , feel false sense of power or bravado and act in unhealthy ways. Infanticide for instance is due to wrong belief that girl child is a liability.  Human sacrifice to propitiate the so-called Gods which is most abominable act which is still prevalent though really is due to superstition or blind faith that it would bring prosperity to the family reeling in poverty .We must shun as much of our illusions as we can and lead a life of reality which is a life true to our nature. In Adwita philosophy typical example of illusion or what Shankaracharya calls as ‘Maya or veil ‘is given.

A rope is mistaken as snake. In the case of modern man the reverse perhaps holds good. He mistakes snake as rope, meaning he takes things which are harmful as those which are not harmful  and even beneficial . For instance a habitual smoker enjoys smoking cigarettes, although it proves lethal to him. Similarly who   has habit of drinking enjoy alchoholic drinks, although he cuts short his life and invites ill- health unknowingly, with every zip of drink? Examples can be multiplied. we mistake many things which are not real   as real , those which are temporary as permanent . We don’t feel that our life is time bound, hence we are too much attached to it or we tend to be too body- conscious. We feel pain when we lose something enjoyed previously. We are pained when the beauty of our youth fades away, when hair turn grey, when wrinkles appear on our face, when our denture giveaway and so on. we don’t  grow and age gracefully .  We don’t realize that whatever is created is to be dissolved or to go back to its original state some time or other for the process of creation to move in full circle . This awareness is called  ‘atmajnana’ or knowledge of self .

(To be Continued)