Vibs
Thanks for the account below. To this day, I always find something new that I had no idea of previously. 😲😊 Like I had no idea that b/w Mareech being thrown 100 yoganas and his taking the form of a stag and being killed, he had yet another encounter w/ Rama during the latter's exile. So I looked @ valmikiramayan.net, and in 3:39, I found the section you are describing.
However, as for the reason why he wasn't killed in this encounter, it describes it in 3:39:13, they have that his 2 companions confronted those 2 of 3 arrows from Rama and were killed, but since Mareech was fleeing and Rama's arrows never took down a fleeing or retreating enemy and never hit an enemy on his back, he was spared. Now, that would bring up the question of how was he then killed when he was, since there too, he was fleeing Rama. But here, Rama was in pursuit of him and his arrow pierced him from the front.
At any rate, Mareech does answer my original question, which was what made him take up life as an ascetic? The serial depicts it as the advice of a rishi, while the text above depicts it as a consequence of the arrow that pursued him but didn't kill him.
Another interesting titbit I found on after Mareech was finally killed was in 3:44, verse 3:44:27 has this:
tatra raamam bhayam tiivram aavivesha viSaadajam |
raakSasam mR^iga ruupam tam hatvaa shrutvaa ca tat svanam || 3-44-26
26. mR^iga ruupam tam raakSasam hatvaa= in deer's, form, that, demon, on killing; tat svanam shrutvaa ca= his, yelling [of demon,] on hearing, also; tatra= in that matter; raamam= to Rama; viSaada jam tiivram bhayam = by gloom, caused, frantic, fear; aavivesha= ensorcelled.
On killing that demon in the form of Golden Deer, and also on hearing his yelling, Rama is ensorcelled with a frantic fear caused by his own gloom. [3-44-26]
nihatya pR^iSatam ca anyam maa.msam aadaaya raaghavaH |
tvaramaaNo janasthaanam sasaara abhimukhaH tadaa || 3-44-27
27. tadaa= then; raaghavaH= Raghava; anyam= another one; pR^iSatam nihatya ca= spotted deer, on killing, also; maamsam aadaaya= its flesh, on taking; tvaramaaNaH= hurrying himself; janasthaanam abhimukhaH sasaara= to Janasthaana, towards, he drifted, proceeded.
Raghava then on killing another spotted deer and on taking its flesh, he hurried himself towards Janasthaana. [3-44-27]
I was curious about this particular act - since Sita's primary interest was the skin of the deer in case it had to be killed, wouldn't its skin have been more of interest to him, rather than the meat (since she wanted to use it as a rug for Rama and others to sit on)? Also, if he was panic-stricken (I'm assuming that this is what 'ensorcelled' means), why did he bother to kill another deer, rather than just go back to Janasthaana himself, as normally reported?Originally posted by: Vibhishna
I checked with the Kambaramayana and the the little I have on the Valmiki Ramayana.
Mareech and Subahu led the demon army to destroy Viswamitra's Yagna. Subahu and the rest were killed. Only Mareech's life was spared. He was thrown into the sea. He lay at the sea bed too weak to move and when he regained strength he went to Lanka led a quiet life for a while. I think Kambaramayan says Mareech wore the ochre robes here itself but I am not sure, I could have misinterpretted something.
Mareech encountered Ram for a second time in Dandakaranya during Ram's Vanvas. He and his two friends assumed the form of fearsome deer and terrorised the forest killing many sages and destroying holy people. Mareech with his strenght and pride restored saw Ram, Lakshman and Sita in the Dandakaranya and dashed forward to kill Ram with his terible horns. Ram killed Mareech's two friends with his arrows and spared him for a second time - Mareech fled realising Ram's might. Again it was only Mareech who was spared.
I remember reading this earlier - Mareech was warned that if he ever came in front of Ram again, he would be killed. I am not able to find it again.
Mareech was spared twice . . . Probably for that one purpose of luring Ram away when Ravan came for Sita.
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