“What happens if I refuse to do this?” asked Mareecha. “I’ll cut off your head right now!” threatened Ravana. Mareecha thought about it for a while, ‘I have to die in any case. Ravana will cut off my head if I refuse to carry out his orders. If I do what he asks me, I’ll be doing something that is very wrong. Ravana will certainly be destroyed along with the entire race of demons. But I will be able to see Lord Rama following me as I run in the forest in the form of a deer. It will be his hand that will kill me, not Ravana’s. So, perhaps I shall attain salvation by dying at Rama’s feet after seeing him as the last living vision!’ It was a difficult choice, but finally Mareecha agreed to do Ravana’s bidding.
Mareecha’s Decision
