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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 When Sita is enraptured by the beauty of the golden deer and Rama decides to go after it Lakshmana's power of reasoning is wide awake. 'Who would not be charmed by this wonder of wonders,' exclaims Rama as to pacify Lakshmana whose opinion is not in favour of going after it. 'So what?' is the blunt retaliation of
Lakshmana.
'aariyan anya kUra,' Hearing Rama saying so,
'annadhu thannai nOkki,' taking another look (at the golden deer)
'sIriyadhu andru idhu endru sindhayil theLindha thambi,' Lakshmana who was very clear and convinced that this was not a deer for real, 'kaariyam ennai?' So what are we to do about it?
'kaNdadhu kanaga maanEl,' Let it be that it is a golden dear. I agree with you.
'vEri am theriyal vIra, mILvadhE mEnmai endraan,' Let's move away from here. That is what we have to do now.
It is not a mere suspicion. Lakshmana has valid information with him to support his judgement. When he speaks, he speaks with authority of information, precedence and reason. 'Do not be deceived by its looks, my brother! I suspect that Märïca has arrived here in this form,' he declares. "I conclude this deer to be the same as that ogre, Märïca. Hunting game in the forest with delight, many kings, O Rama, have been killed by assuming a deceptive form at will. This effulgent form of a deer assumed by him, O tiger among men, is a hoax on the part of the ogre - who is well-versed in conjuring tricks - and it is like a magic show. To be sure, no such deer, freckled with jewel-like spots, exists on the face of the earth, O scion of Raghu! It is surely a phantom, O ruler of the globe; there is no doubt about it." (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XLIII, Sloka 5-8)
It is not usual for Lakshmana to sound so impolite, especially when speaking to Rama. But his anxiety shows through. The fact that he is not able to convince Rama to see what he wants him to see makes him all the more anxious.
 'Right. I agree with you. If as you say it is an ogre who has come assuming the form of this deer, then I will be killing it for sure and I will only be discharging my responsibility. If on the other hand, it turns out to be a real golden-deer, I will capture it
for Sita. Either way there is no harm in pursuing it, Lakshmana. Why are you so worried?'
'pin nindraa inayar endru uNargilam.' We don't know who is behind all this. It is not correct to think that this deer has appeared here of its own. There is somebody who is behind this, though we do not have any information on them right now.
'pidiththa maayam en endrum theLidhal thEtraam.' And we do not know what form that the person who has sent it has assumed and where he is lying hidden right now. Anyway, I do not approve of your going behind it for another reason too.
'mun nindraar munindhuLa vEttam muttral,' Hunting has been despised by our ancestors
'pon nindra vayirath thOLaai pugazh udaiththaam andru' and if you go after the deer to hunt it, it won't befit your
valour.
Listen to me, I have got something more to tell you.
More follows...
Published on 12th March 2002
Hari Krishnan
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