‘Listen, fair lady; I am his servant and dependant; you would not be happy with me. My lord is the mighty king of Kosalapura (Ayodhya); whatever he does becomes him.

A servant who aspires after happiness, a beggar who expects honour, a dissolute man who hopes for riches, a profligate who seeks salvation, an avaricious man who covets fame and a proud man who craves the four rewards of life – all these are like men who would expect milk by milking the sky.’

Again she turned and came to Rama, but the Lord sent her back once more to Lakshmana. Said Lakshmana, ‘He will be a match for you who has flung all sense of shame to the winds!’

Then in a fury she returned to Rama, revealing her own dreadful demon form. Raghunatha, seeing that Sita was frightened, made a sign to his brother.

With great agility Lakshmana struck off her nose and ears, sending, as it were, a challenge to Ravana by her hand.

Robbed of her nose and ears, she wore a hideous aspect and looked like a mountain flowing with torrents of red ochre. She went sobbing to Khara and Dushana and cried, ‘A curse, a curse, brothers, on your manhood and might!’

When Khara and Dushana asked her what had happened, she told them all. On hearing her report, the demon chiefs gathered an army, and swarming multitudes of monsters of diverse shapes rushed forth like hosts of winged hills of soot,