The Ring That Sparked Hope

Turning to a particularly frightening demoness, he ordered her to do everything possible to persuade Seeta to marry him. He then returned to his palace. The ugly demonesses gathered around Seeta, 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 Seeta. She is Emperor Janak's daughter and Emperor Dasharath's daughter-in-law. Last night, I had a dream in which Ram destroyed the demon army with his arrows. The entire city of Lanka was ablaze. Ram's messenger, Hanuman, killed many demons. Ravan was seated on a donkey heading to hell. Ram and Seeta were returning home on an elephant."

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

After much thought, Hanuman decided that singing praises of Lord Ram would be the best way to uplift Seeta's spirits. Meanwhile, Seeta, 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 Seeta lay asleep, guarded by a group of demonesses. Using his magical powers, Indra put the demonesses to sleep. He then approached Seeta 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, Seeta suspected Indra might be a demon in disguise, sent by Ravan. But Indra convinced her of his true identity and assured her that Ram would soon defeat Ravan. Realizing she had much to live for, Seeta drank the magical porridge and remained satiated for several months.

After careful consideration, Hanuman decided to drop the ring that Ram had given him. He knew that this ring was the most convincing sign he could present to assure Seeta that he was indeed Ram's messenger. Seeta, 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 Ravan's atrocities and end her suffering.

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