Angada, having in vain endeavoured to persuade Ravana to restore Sita,
leaves him to expect the immediate advance of the Monkey host.

Virupaksha and Mahodara, two of Ravana's ministers utter a string of
moral and political sentences.

Ravana is not to be persuaded, but goes to Sita to try the effect of his
personal solicitations--first endeavouring to deceive her by two
fictitious heads, made to assume the likenesses of Rama and Lakshmana.
Sita's lamentations are stopped by a heavenly monitor, who tells her
that the heads are the work of magic and they instantly disappear.
Ravana then vaunts his prowess in war and love, and approaches Sita to
embrace her. She exclaims "Forbear, forbear! proud fiend, the jetty arms
of my loved lord, or thy relentless sword, alone shall touch my neck."

Thus repulsed, Ravana withdraws, and presently reappears as Rama, with
his own ten heads in his hands. Sita, thinking him to be what he
appears, is about to embrace him, when the secret virtue of her
character as a faithful wife detects the imposition, and reveals the
truth to her. Ravana, baffled and mortified, is compelled to relinquish
his design. Sita's apprehensions, lest she should be again beguiled, are
allayed by a voice from heaven, which announces that she will not see
the real Rama until he has beheld Mandodari kiss the dead body of her
husband Ravana.

A female Rakhasi attempts to assassinate Rama, but is stopped and slain
by Angada. The army then advances to Lanka, and Ravana comes forth to
meet it. Kumbhakarna, his gigantic and sleepy brother, is disturbed from
his repose to combat. He is rather out of humour at first, and
recommends Ravana to give up the lady, observing: "Though the commands