The Ring That Sparked Hope

The night was almost over. At daybreak, the ten-headed Demon King Ravana awoke in his palace and went straight to the Ashok Garden to meet Sita. "You are sacrificing your life for that fateless forest dweller who has been exiled by his own father," Ravana ridiculed Sita.

Turning to a particularly frightening demoness, he ordered her to do everything possible to persuade Sita to marry him. He then returned to his palace. The ugly demonesses gathered around Sita, harassing her with harsh words and threats. They threatened to kill her and eat her flesh. Hanuman, hidden on a branch of the tree, watched this heartbreaking scene.

Meanwhile, an old demoness named Trijata arrived. "Oh, wicked creatures," she exclaimed indignantly. "If you want to eat, consume your own flesh. You cannot harm Sita. She is King Janaka's daughter and King Dasharatha's daughter-in-law. Last night, I had a dream in which Rama destroyed the demon army with his arrows. The entire city of Lanka was ablaze. Rama's messenger, Hanuman, killed many demons. Ravana was seated on a donkey heading to hell. Rama and Sita were returning home on an elephant."

Hanuman listened attentively to Trijata's words. Seeing Sita in despair, he was deeply saddened. Sita was contemplating suicide, and Hanuman felt a pressing need to assure her that Rama would soon come to rescue her. However, he feared that if he spoke to her in fluent Sanskrit, she might mistake him for Ravana, who was known to assume any form at will. Hanuman also realized that speaking directly to Sita in the presence of the demonesses could provoke a conflict, preventing him from delivering her message to Rama.

After much thought, Hanuman decided that singing praises of Lord Rama would be the best way to uplift Sita's spirits. Meanwhile, Sita, overwhelmed by sorrow, resolved to starve herself to death.

In the dead of night, Indra, the king of the gods, arrived in Lanka with a bowl of porridge. He made his way to the Ashok Garden, where Sita lay asleep, guarded by a group of demonesses. Using his magical powers, Indra put the demonesses to sleep. He then approached Sita and handed her the bowl of porridge, saying, "Lord Brahma has informed me that you have stopped eating and drinking in Lanka. If you consume this magical porridge, you will not feel hungry or thirsty for a long time." 

At first, Sita suspected Indra might be a demon in disguise, sent by Ravana. But Indra convinced her of his true identity and assured her that Rama would soon defeat Ravana. Realizing she had much to live for, Sita drank the magical porridge and remained satiated for several months.

After careful consideration, Hanuman decided to drop the ring that Rama had given him. He knew that this ring was the most convincing sign he could present to assure Sita that he was indeed Rama's messenger. Sita, already tormented by demonic magic, noticed the ring. At first, she thought it was a spark of fire and moved to collect it. Believing the Ashok tree had answered her prayers by giving her fire, she intended to burn herself to escape Ravana's atrocities and end her suffering.

However, upon closer inspection, Sita recognized the ring as Rama's. Her despair turned to hope as she realized that Hanuman was indeed a messenger from her beloved Rama. This renewed her faith and gave her the strength to endure until Rama came to rescue her.