Rama and the golden deer
Rama and the golden deer
One day, Surpanakha, the rakshasa sister of Ravana, disguised herself as a beautiful maiden and proposed marriage to Rama. Rama refused her proposal and directed her to Lakshmana in jest. Lakshmana joked that she should marry his master Rama. An angry Surpanakha returned to Rama and attacked Sita. But Lakshmana took out his sword and cut off Shurpanakha's ears and nose. The humiliated Surpanakha approached Khara, a man-eating rakshasha, to avenge her with a vendetta against Rama. However, Khara, his general Dushana and his army of 14,000 were killed by Rama when they attacked him.
Surpanakha and her maternal uncle, Akampana, who escaped the carnage, reached Lanka with the news and proposed that Ravana steal Sita, Rama's beautiful wife. Ravana started brooding and thinking of his next course of action. He then flew in his aerial chariot across the sea to meet his ally, Maricha. Maricha lived in a secluded hermitage on the ocean coast. Ravana informed Maricha of the death of Khara, Dushana and their army as well as of the insult of Surpanakha.
He told Maricha to turn into a golden deer with silver spots and graze in the vicinity of Rama's ashram. On seeing the deer, Sita would surely tell Rama and Lakshamana to catch it. When the brothers left Sita alone, Ravana would abduct her. Rama, saddened by the grief of Sita's separation, would be easily killed by Ravana. Maricha, who had a first-hand experience of Rama's strength, was horrified by the idea. The wise Maricha attempted to dissuade Ravana by recalling the righteousness and valor of Rama and warned that this idea would only lead to the doom of Ravana, Lanka and the rakshasa race. He narrated his first encounter with Rama, when he underestimated Rama and dismissed him as a boy, how he was thrown hundreds of leagues away by Rama's single arrow. He followed that with the story of his second encounter with Rama in Dandakaranya.
However, Ravana ignored Maricha's words and asked how he dared praise Rama and question the prowess of Ravana, his king. Ravana announced that he would abduct Sita with or without Maricha's help to get revenge for the death of rakshasas. He reiterated his plan and told Maricha to be the golden deer. If successful, he and Maricha would return to Lanka and Ravana would grant half his kingdom to Maricha. Ravana threatened that while his plan might lead to Maricha's death by Rama, Maricha's refusal would mean an instant death at his, Ravana's, hand. Finally Maricha agreed, but not before prophesying his death as well as the end of Ravana, Lanka and rakshasas and warning Ravana that he would suffer the results of dismissing Maricha's words, which were for his own good. Another version states that Maricha felt that death by the divine Rama would be better than one by Ravana. Ravana was pleased by Maricha's consent and embraced him.
Source: Wikipedia
More info:
