66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

would naturally turn to her for love.
Ravana felt uneasy. He rose abruptly and left the hall,
unwilling to let the assembly notice his state of mind. They
rained flowers on him and uttered blessings and recited his
glory as usual when he strode down the passage. His ten
heads were held erect and his eyes looked straight ahead,
not noticing the people standing about in respectful array; his
mind was seething with ideas for the conquest of Sita.
Soorpanaka’s words had lit an all-consuming flame within
him. He ignored his wives, who were awaiting his favours,
and passed on to his own private chamber, where he shut
the door and flung himself on his luxurious bed. He lay there
tossing, unable to rid his mind of the figure conjured up by
Soorpanaka’s words. It was a total obsession; he felt
tormented and raged against his surroundings, which
appeared to aggravate his suffering. Presently he realized
that his bed and the chamber were uninhabitable. The place
seemed to be scorching hot. He got up and moved out
unceremoniously to the woods, leaving his attendants and
aides wondering what kind of seizure was driving him hither
and thither. He moved to his garden house of pure marble
and gold set amidst towering palmyra and flowering trees,
and lay down on a pure white satin bed. When they saw him
arrive, cuckoos and parrots in the trees silenced themselves.
The late winter with its light mist and cool wind proved
uncomfortable to Ravana, who shouted at it the question,