Sita tells a story.....

Sita tells a story.....

---------------------------

पुरा किल महाबाहो तपस्वी सत्यवाक् शुचिः।

कस्मिंश्चिदभवत् पुण्ये वने रतमृगद्विजे॥१६

तस्यैव तपसो विघ्नं कर्तुमिन्द्रः शचीपतिः।

खाड्गपाणिरथागच्छदाश्रमं भटरूपधृत्॥१७

तस्मिंश्चिदाश्रमपदे निशितः खड्ग उत्तमः।

स न्यासविधिना दत्तः पुण्ये तपसि तिष्ठतः॥१८

स तच्छस्त्रमनुप्राप्य न्यासरक्षणतत्परः।

वने तं विचरत्येव रक्षन् प्रत्ययमात्मनः॥१९

यत्र गच्छत्युपादातुम् मूलानि च फलानि च।

न विना याति तं खड्गं न्यासरक्षणतत्परः॥२०

नित्यं शस्त्रं परिवहन् क्रमेण स तपोधनः।

चकार रौद्रीम् तां बुद्धिं त्यक्त्वा तपसि निश्चयम्॥२१

ततः स रौद्रेऽभिरतः प्रमत्तो धर्मकर्शितः।

तस्य शस्त्रस्य संवासाज्जगाम नरकम् मुनिः॥२२

purā kila mahābhāho tapasvī satyavāk śuciḥ|

kasmiṁścidabhavat puṇye vane ratamṛgadvije ||16

tasyaiva tapaso vighnaṁ kartumindraḥ śacīpatiḥ|

khāḍgapāṇirathāgacchadāśramaṁ bhaṭarūpadhṛt||17

tasmiṁścidāśramapade niśitaḥ khaḍga uttamaḥ|

sa nyāsavidhinā dattaḥ puṇye tapasi tiṣṭhataḥ||18

sa tacchastramanuprāpya nyāsarakṣaṇatatparaḥ|

vane taṁ vicaratyeva rakṣan pratyayamātmanaḥ||19

yatra gacchatyupādātum mūlāni ca phalāni ca|

na vinā yāti taṁ khaḍgaṁ nyāsarakṣaṇatatparaḥ||20

nityaṁ śastraṁ parivahan krameṇa sa tapodhanaḥ|

cakāra raudrīm tāṁ buddhiṁ tyaktvā tapasi niścayam||21

tataḥ sa raudre'bhirataḥ pramatto dharmakarśitaḥ|

tasya śastrasya saṁvāsājjagāma narakam muniḥ||22

Valmikiramayanam Ayodhya Kandam Sargam 9

In Aranyakandam of Valmiki Ramayanam , we see Rama along with Lakshmana and Sita enter the Dandaka forest and paying visit to various Sages occupying the holy forest..

At that period, the forest was infested with demons and ogres who were causing untold troubles to the meek sages..

The sages pray before Rama that they should be protected from the onslaughts of the demons, and Rama, after studying their plight promises to intervene with force and to bring order.

For a prince of the Royal breed, Rams's reaction was really befitting..

But Sita, who was following Rama, suffering all the woes of a life in forest, is not sure about the propriety in use of arms and continuing with the Kshatriya functions, when Rama has actually been relegated to the life of a recluse by the orders of the King. She felt that they should lead a placid life during the sojourn in forest and should resume the kingly duties only when their term of forest life comes to a close..

She felt that the duties while in forest were not the same as those when one lived in a palace..

With this thought in mind, Sita engages herself in a discussion with Rama.. as we could read in Sargam 9 of Aranyakandam of Valmikiramayanam.

While discussing about the use of arms, she warns Rama about the dangers that can befall people who become attracted to use of weapons and gradually become addicted to such use and finally meet the nemesis..

She tells a Story

Once there was a pious sage dong penance in a forest, observing all austerities..

The gods in heaven were jealous of him.. In fact the gods got appointed to their exalted positions in heaven based on the penance they have performed on the earth and if someone else did greater penance, that posed a threat to their position because a better person would in all likelihood, would fill their slots and they would be rendered jobless.

So Indra the lord of gods wanted to put an end to the penance of the forest dweller..

Indra took the disguise of a soldier in transit and visited the sage.

The soldier had a very sharp and shining sword with him..

He told the sage that the sword was too valuable for him to carry around in his travel and hence requested the sage to keep it in safe custody in his abode till the he returned..

The innocent sage readily agreed, and took custody of the sword, and the Indra, the soldier rode away..

From the moment the sword came into his custody, the sage was always anxious about the safe custody of the sword..

His attention gradually turned from penance to the the sword.

Whenever the sage went out, be it to fetch water, food, or fruits or other utilities for daily life, he invariably carried the sword with him.

As he was having the sword almost eternally in his person, it was obvious that he started using the sword for the purposes it was designed.

He became sword savvy steadily, and one can use a sword only for destruction, fight and slaughter..

So the sages activities took different direction.. from penance to use of sword..

And indeed, his penance was ruined and he went to hell..

Indra's mission was accomplished with success..

In Bible too we can discover similar thought..

Bible conveys this message

In Mathew 26 :52

"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

respect for womanhood...

The rules of Hinduism are  crystal clear on the issue of paying respects to the wife of an elder family member, even if the lady is younger in age....

In Ramayanam, Lakshmana is younger to Rama by just two days.. Even though it is not clearly stated in the epic , Sita is presumed to be younger to Rama younger and therefore youngerto Lakshmana too... Laksjmana was born just two days after Ram ..

Rama on the Star Punartham of Chaitram and Lakshmana with his twin Shatrughna on the next Aashlesha or AAyilyam star..

And there is an occasion in Valmiki Ramayanam, where, Lakshmana is asked to identify the jewellery thrown down by Sita in Rishyamooka while she was being abducted to Lanka by Ravana..

Lakshmana Says.. 

नाहं जानामि केयूरे नाहं जानामि कुण्डले नूपुरे तु अभिजानामि नित्यं पाद्दभिवन्दनात I 

Naaham jaanaami keyoorey naaham jaanaami kundaley noopurey tu abhijaanaami nityam paadaabhivandanaat....

Meaning..

"I do not know how the ear-studs or the armlets of Sita would look like but I do recognize the anklets worn on her legs,, as I do see them when I prostrate on her feet every day.."

Here Lakshmana, by all means is elder in age to Sita.. but Sita is his elder brother's wife. and therefore he worships her feet..

Dharmasastras equate elder brother to ones own father and elder brother's wife to one's own mother..

Just as, if one's father marries a lady younger to the person, she assumes the status of mother. even if she is younger in age.

de jure and de facto..

To be frank, any decision making process is heavily dependent on facts on hand and also the balance of convenience at the crucial moment.. most of the time value or ethical considerations are not the priority..


In fictional histories,(for that matter even in what we call pure history) often they cannot manage to obliterate all the inconvenient facts.. so the followers would try to whitewash or sugarcoat incidents wherever possible.. but contradictions do show.


The killing of Vali, the abandoning of Sita in the forest .. are all political decisions..(and not hasty ones for that matter).. the explanation may be that Rama had to do such things as a function of Kshatriya..


The epics and lore evolve.with time and generations of people ..

 First the Ramayana was a chronicle on what happened, nice or otherwise, in the lives of a few persons, may be historical, semi-historical, or fictional ..


However, as the story evolved and was churned in the furnace of time, many characters assumed dimensions of divinity..


The inherent flaws and contradictin  could all not be wished away..


So the chinks in the armour do show..



The intelligent reader should do himself a lot of good by analysing the issues dispassionately and by not persuading himself to be lulled into the belief that what is all written in some ancient text is Gospel and should form the basis for his own code of conduct.. पुराणमित्येव न साधु सर्वं

Sita's Praise for Lakshmana

स्रजश्च सर्वरत्नानि प्रिया याश्च वराङ्गनाः।

ऐश्वर्यं च विशालायां पृथिव्यामपि दुर्लभम्॥५७

पितरं मातरं चैव संमान्याभिप्रसाध्य च।

अनुप्रव्रजितो रामं सुमित्रा येन सुप्रजाः॥५८

आनुकूल्येन धर्मात्मा त्यक्त्वा सुखमनुत्तमं।

अनुगच्छति काकुत्स्थं भ्रातरं पालयन् वने॥५९

सिंहस्कन्धो महाभाहुर्मनस्वी प्रियदर्शनः।

पितृवद्वर्तते रामे मातृवन्मां समाचरन्॥६०

ह्रियमाणाम् तदा वीरो न तु मां वेद लक्ष्मणः।

वृद्धोपसेवी लक्ष्मीवाञ्च्छक्तो न बहुभाषिता॥६१

राजपुत्रः प्रियः श्रेष्ठः सदृशः श्वशुरस्य मे।

मत्तः प्रियतरो नित्यं भ्राता रामस्य लक्ष्मणः॥६२

नियुक्तो धुरि यस्यां तु तामुद्वहति वीर्यवान्।

यं दृष्ट्वा राघवो नैव वृत्तमार्यमनुस्मरेत्॥६३

स ममार्थाय कुशलं वक्तव्यो वचनान्मम।

मृदुर्नित्यं शुचिर्दक्षः प्रियो रामस्य लक्ष्मणः॥६४

श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिये रामायणे आदिकाव्य् सुन्दरकाण्डे सर्गः ३८

srajaśca sarvaratnāni priyā yāśca varāṅganāḥ|

aiśvaryaṁ ca viśālāyāṁ pṛthivyāmapi durlabham||57

pitaraṁ mātaṁ caiva saṁmānyābhiprasādhya ca|

anupravrajito rāmaṁ sumitrā yena suprajāḥ||58

ānukūlyeana dharmātmā tyaktvā sukhamanuttamaṁ|

anugacchati kākutsthaṁ bhrātaraṁ pālayan vane||59

siṁhaskando mahābhāhurmanasvī priyadarśanaḥ|

pitṛvadvartate rāme mātṛvanmāṁ samācaran||60

hriyamāṇām tadā vīro na tu māṁ veda lakṣmaṇaḥ|

vṛddhopasevī lakṣmīvāñcchakto na bahubhāṣitā||61

rājaputraḥ priyaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ sadṛśaḥ śvaśurasya me|

mattaḥ priyataro nityaṁ bhrātā rāmasya lakṣmaṇaḥ||62

niyukto dhuri yasyāṁ tu tāmudvahati vīryavān|

yaṁ dṛṣṭvā rāghavo naiva vṛttamāryamanusmaret||63

sa mamārthāya kuśalaṁ vaktavyo vacanānmama|

mṛdurnityaṁ śucirdakṣaḥ priyo rāmasya lakṣmaṇaḥ||64

śrīmadvālmīkiye rāmāyaṇe ādikāvy sundarakāṇḍe sargaḥ 38

We all know Lakshmana as a very important character in Ramayanam.  But usually he is not accorded the place of honour he deserved in the epic for his sheer devotion and the voluntary sacrifice of all that is best in life for the sake of his elder brother who is just two days older than him. Most of the time it would appear that even Rama and Sita were treating him only as a utility man.  In fact, when Maricha appeared before Sita in the disguise of a Golden deer and she prompted Rama to run after the deer and fetch it for her, Rama had asked Lakshmana to ensure the safety of Sita in his absence.  The wily Maricha, when he was ultimately hit by the arrow of Rama in a far off place, shouted out the names of Sita and Lakshmana in the voice of Rama giving a false impression that Rama was in mortal danger.  Lakshmana knew that this was only a bait by the dying demon.  But Sita insisted that Lakshmana should go for the rescue of Rama and when Lakshmana was reluctant to leave sita unguarded, she used the worst language accusing him of having ulterior intentions on her.  Lakshman had to go away and this made the entry of Ravana into the Ashram and abduction of Sita. Maybe, she remembered the ungrateful treatment she meted out to Lakshmana, and therefore when Hanuman reached Lanka in search of he and she was asked to give messages to her Relatives and friends on the Indian Subcontinent, she showers all praise on Lakshman.  It is a fact that Lakshman deserved this and more

"The faithful Lakshmana had voluntarily abandoned all comforts, gems and jewels, affluent life which is not even thinkable for ordinary persons, and company of noble maidens in Ayodhya, and accompanied Rama and Me for a life of complete austerity and physical denial in the forest, that too for fourteen years. This was done by him after convincing his parents. He is the darling child because of whose birth Devi Sumitra attained great fame. He is now wandering in the forest, after giving up all the comforts of Royal life, and his only mission in life is to protect Rama in the forest.  He is a valorous hero with the shoulder s resembling a lion, having long hands and also a mind and character of the highest order, and he is very pleasing person to the eyes. For him Rama is his father and I am his mother. When I was abducted, he was not present in the ashram ( implying that had he been present the dastardly action could have been thwarted and also that She had force him to go away).  Lakshma is considerate and would be of great service to elder people, he carried in him all the marks of prosperity and he is very powerful. However, he is a man of few words, and is softspoken.He is a real Prince of Kshatriya  blood, he is dear to all, he is of sternling character, and he resmbles Dasartha, my father in law very much. I feel Lakshman is even more dearer to Rama than  me his wife. Lakshmana is a hero who will execute whatever directions are given to him apply his ingenuity and would emerge as as achiever at any cost. Rama is forgetting the grief of having lost his father only by being in the company of Lakshmana. Oh Hanuman, please convey my best wishes to him in endearing words. He is soft always, a very clean and efficient person  and is the cynosure of the eyes of Rama.

This was quoted because, most of the other characters except Urmila, Shatrugna, and the two daughter-in-laws of Dasartha apart from sita, who, along with Laksmana, had   all undergone great sacrifices in life during the fourteen years of exile of Rama, and they have not been given sufficient footage in the epic.

the string designed by fate

सुखस्य दुखस्य न कोपि दाता परो दधातीति कुबुद्धिरेषा

अहं करोमीति वृथाभिमानः स्वकर्मसूत्रग्रथितो हि लोकःi

(adhyatma  ramayanam 2-6-6)

sukhasya dukhasya na kopi dātā paro dadhātīti kubuddhireṣā

ahaṁ karomīti vṛthābhimānaḥ svakarmasūtragrathito hi lokaḥ|

Pleasure and pain are not to given to us by someone else.

It is the crooked mind that says that pain or

pleasure are provided to us by others.

It is equally vainglorious to claim that I am the doer of anything

The life in the world is just bound and arranged by the karmas one has practiced and is practicing.

This sloka is attributed to Lord Rama Himself in Ramayanam..

We cannot find a more decent person who lived the most ideal life.

But all misfortunes visited Him.,Loss of kingdom which was his rightful due,

wandering in the forest, loss of his beloved Sita and again after regaining Sita,

when he was about to settle down in life, social compulsion to abandon Sita for ever..

what sort of misfortune did ever spare this gem of men?

Definitely we are not facing even a minuscule part of such sufferings.

So it is better for us to float and flow with the current, that is all..

Let us spend our lives as destined by Gods..

व्यशेम देवहितम् यदायुः

(vedas)

സുഖസ്യ ദുഖസ്യ ന കോപി ദാതാ പരോ ദധാതീതി കുബുദ്ധിരേഷാ

അഹം കരോമീതി വൃഥാഭിമാനഃ സ്വകര്മസൂത്രഗ്രഥിതോ ഹി ലോകഃ

(അദ്ധ്യാത്മരാമായണം   2-6-6)

അദ്ധ്യാത്മരാമായണത്തില്‍ ശ്രീരാമന്‍റെ വാക്കുകലായാണ് ഈ സുഭാഷിതം കാണുന്നത്.

ഒരാള്‍ അനുഭവിക്കുന്ന സുഖവും ദുഃഖവും  ഒരിക്കലും  മറ്റാരും തരുന്നതല്ല.

മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ നമുക്ക് അതെല്ലാം  നല്‍കുന്നു എന്നത് വ്യര്‍ത്ഥമായ വിചാരമാണ്. അവനവന്‍ തന്നെയാണ് എല്ലാം ചെയ്യുന്നത്, എല്ലാം നേടുന്നത്  എന്ന ചിന്തയും   അര്‍ത്ഥമില്ലാത്ത അഹങ്കാരത്തില്‍ നിന്ന് ഉടലെടുക്കുന്നതാണ് . 

പക്ഷെ യഥാര്‍ത്ഥത്തില്‍ ലോകം തന്നെയും, നാം എല്ലാവരും,  കര്‍മ്മം  എന്ന ഊരാക്കുരുക്കില്‍ ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.

embodiment of spontaneous love

अनुचरति शशाङ्गं राहुदोषेपि ताराः
पतति च वनवृक्षे याति भूमिं लता च।
त्यजति न च करेणुः पङ्कलग्नम् गजेन्द्रम्
व्रजतु चरतु धर्मं भर्तृनाथाः बि भार्याः॥ 
भासप्राणीते  प्रतिमानाटके 

anucarati śaśāṅgaṁ rāhudoṣepi tārāḥ
patati ca vanavṛkṣe yāti bhūmiṁ latā ca|
tyajati na ca kareṇuḥ paṅkalagnam gajendram
vrajatu caratu dharmaṁ bhartṛnāthāḥ bi bhāryāḥ||

from Pratimaanaatakam of Bhasa  

The   question pondered over  with  Bhasa in his celebrated drama  Pratimaanatakam  is whether Sita should accompany Rama during Rama's  sojourn in forest.
The poet deems it as the duty of the wife to follow her husband either is happiness or in agony to the end.
"The stars, who are the faithful wives of the moon, keep company with him and  remains around him even when an eclipse occurs and the snake demon Rahu gobbles up the lunar disc.
 When the big tree over which the tendrils of the jasmine plant have grown for a long time is felled by a tempest or the axe of a woodcutter, the jasmine plant also come down and never thinks of abandoning the tree. 
When a bull elephant is unfortunately caught in a quagmire and is sinking, his lifetime companions, the mare elephants, never abandon him but rally around him and try to pull him  out of the situation...
So this is the duty of a chaste woman..
Let Sita fulfill the dictates of Dharma and accompany her husband.

Of course the Lokamataa Sita would not think of a separation from Rama in any situation.
She is the epitome of dharma and her love for Rama is divine. 
The poet tries to generalize this dharma for all females.  He attributes the duty to even non-human couples, for  whom  fidelity comes spontaneously.
We cannot for a moment forget the Dharma of the husband to protect and ensure welfare for his wife.  The life of a woman is created for love and sacrifice...and she always follows her natural instincts. 
When in full beauty and attractiveness, she takes upon herself the duty of bearing a child in her womb for a man, faith alone forming the precondition.
 In this process her beauty is sacrificed to a substantial extent.
She worries, fasts , prays and control all her passions for the sake of the embryo that is growing inside her.
 The delivery is often painful and her body is cut by a surgeon in many  cases.
Then she enacts a long saga of love and sacrifice for the sake of the child born to her and remains so till her last breath. 
The existence of all animate things including humans would have been very cruel but for the limb or the species which is female.
 Sree maathre namaH  Pranams to the Mother
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