66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

Lakshmana deeply. He pondered over her words and said,
“No need for you to harm yourself. Only I shudder at the
import of your words. I’ll obey you now. Do not be anxious.
This very second I’ll leave. I only hesitated because your
order goes against the command of my brother. I’ll go, and
may the gods protect you from harm!”
“If I don’t go, she will kill herself,” he reasoned. “If I go, she
will be in danger. I’d rather be dead than facing such a
dilemma… . I’ll go, and what is destined will happen.
Dharma alone should protect her.” He said to Sita, “Our
elder Jatayu is there to watch us, and he will guard you.”
The moment Lakshmana left, Ravana, who had been
watching, emerged from his hiding place. He stood at the
gate of Panchvati cottage and called, “Who is there? Anyone
inside to welcome a sanyasi?” He was in the garb of a
hermit, lean, scraggy, and carrying a staff and a wooden
begging bowl in his hand. His voice shook as if with old age,
his legs trembled, as he called again, “Is there anyone living
in this hut?”
Sita opened the door and saw the old man and said, “You
are welcome, sir. What do you want?”
Ravana was overwhelmed by the vision before him. Sita
invited him in and gave him a seat while his mind buzzed
with a thousand thoughts. “She should be mine. I’ll make her
the queen of my empire and spend the rest of my days in