After speaking kindly to Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, the forest dwellers honored them with gifts—fruits, roots, flowers, and many foods from the woods. Other ascetics and perfected beings, righteous and radiant like fire, also satisfied Rāma, the lord, offering him what was proper and due. Now, listen to the second chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Araṇyakāṇḍa. Having received such hospitality, Rāma took leave of all the sages. With Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā beside him, he set out toward the sunrise, entering the depths of the forest. As they ventured further, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa beheld the heart of the wilderness—a place where no birds called, only the constant sound of crickets echoed. There, together with Sītā, the descendant of Kakutstha suddenly encountered a dreadful man-eater. This being was terrible and loud, surrounded by fierce beasts, towering like a mountain peak. His eyes were deep-set, and his mouth vast; his belly grotesquely swollen. He was hideous, uneven, tall, deformed, and terrifying to behold. Clad in a tiger’s hide, still wet with fat and stained with blood, he struck terror into all creatures, his mouth agape like Death itself. Impaled upon an iron spike he carried were three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten spotted deer, and the head of a great elephant, horned and smeared with fat. Roaring with a mighty voice, he saw Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā of Mithilā. Enraged, he rushed at them like Death at the end of time, making a dreadful sound as if shaking the earth. Seizing Sītā in his arms and withdrawing, he declared, "You two, wearing matted locks and bark garments, with your wife—your lives are nearly over. You have entered the Daṇḍaka forest, armed with bow, arrows, and sword; how is it that you, ascetics, dwell here with a woman? Who are you, evil-doers, unrighteous and corruptors of sages? I am Virādha, a Rākṣasa, who roams this difficult forest. I wander always armed, consuming the flesh of sages; this woman of noble form shall become my wife. And as for you two sinners, I will drink your blood in battle." Hearing Virādha’s arrogant words, Janaka’s daughter Sītā trembled with fear, shaking like a plantain tree in the wind. Seeing Sītā, radiant yet now seated on Virādha’s lap, Rāma spoke to Lakṣmaṇa, his mouth parched. "Behold, gentle one, the daughter of King Janaka, my wife of virtuous conduct, placed on Virādha’s lap. A princess raised in utmost comfort, renowned—whatever was dear to us, whatever was her chosen wish—all that Kaikeyī has swiftly accomplished today, Lakṣmaṇa. She who is not satisfied with the kingdom and seeks only her son’s gain, far-sighted as she is. By whom I, beloved of all beings, was sent to the forest; today, that middle mother of mine has her desire fulfilled. Nothing is more painful to me than Sītā being touched by another, not even my father’s death or the loss of my own kingdom, O Saumitri." As Kakutstha spoke thus, his voice choked with tears and grief. Lakṣmaṇa, enraged, replied like a restrained serpent hissing, "You are the protector of beings, like Indra, though you appear as one without support; O Kakutstha, why do you grieve when I, your servant, am here? Today, struck down by my arrow in anger, the demon Virādha, his life departed, will stain the earth with his blood. The anger I once felt toward Bharata for the sake of the kingdom, I will now unleash upon Virādha, as Indra hurls his thunderbolt at a mountain. Let my great arrow, driven by the force and speed of my arm, fly at his massive chest, sever his life from his body, and then let him fall to the earth, writhing." Now, hear the third sarga in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Araṇyakaṇḍa. Virādha spoke again, his voice filling the forest: "Tell me, who are you two, and where are you going?" To this demon with a blazing face, Rāma, the descendant of Ikshvaku and of great splendor, replied as he was questioned. Virādha then spoke to Rāma, whose valor is true: "Well, I shall tell you, O king; listen to me, O Rāghava. I am said to be the son of Java, my mother is Śatahradā; all the demons on earth call me Virādha. Through asceticism I gained boons, granted by Brahma’s favor: in this world, I cannot be slain by weapons, nor can I be cut or pierced. Abandon this woman and flee as you came, both of you, without delay; otherwise, I will take your lives." Rāma, his eyes reddened with anger, replied to the demon Virādha, deformed and evil-minded: "Wretch, shame on you, so base and deprived! Surely you seek death; stand your ground in battle, for you shall not escape alive from me." Then Rāma strung his bow and swiftly aimed sharp arrows, striking the demon. With his bow strung, he released seven arrows, golden-feathered, of great speed, like the wind of Garuda. Those arrows, piercing the body of Virādha, clad in peacock feathers, fell to the earth, stained with blood, blazing like fire.