Ayodhya Kaanda
68 - Dialogue between Sita and Sri Rama
Chaupais
Description
Man-eating demons roams about in the woods and assume all sorts of deceptive forms. The water of the hills is exceedingly unwholesome; the hardships of the forest are beyond all description. There are terrible serpents and fierce wild birds and multitudes of demons who steal both man and woman. The boldest shudder at the very thought of the forest; while you, O fawn-eyed lady, are timid by nature. You are not fit for the woods, O fair lady; the world will revile me when they hear that I am taking you to the forest. Can a female cygnet who has been brought up in the nectarean water of the Manasa lake live in the salt water of the ocean? Can a cuckoo that has made merry in a young mango grove have its appropriate place in a thicket of Karila bushes? Pondering this in your heart stay at home, O moon-faced lady; the hardships of the forest are great."