Sundara kanda

courtesy: Sri Vaishnavism e-magazine

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VALMIKI RAMAYANA

By Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A.,Ph.D , siromani

Sundarakanda

7. Ravana’s reaction to Seetha’s reply

Valmiki says

prthyuvaacha Suchismithaa, she replied with a smile.

Why should she smile when she was trembling and full of grief on

hearing the words of Ravana? Sita was not lacking in courage and her

trembling and sorrow was due to her repugnance for the behaviour of

Ravana. She smiled at the words of Ravana who was prattling that

Rama was not his equal and it was not sure whether Rama was still

living etc. while he himself entered the hermitage like a thief and took

her away in the absence of Rama and Lakshmana, not being brave

enough to face them. She smiled also because Ravana was tempting

her, who had left the royal life to follow Rama in the forest, with all

luxuries, which for her were like the blade of grass in front. She smiled

because she was the incarnation of Lakshmi and Ravana was offering

all the riches to her , without whose grace he could not have got them

in the first place and due to his aparadha towards her he was going to

lose everything including his life soon .

First Seetha , like a mother to the erring child, started advising

Ravana. She told him that he could never aspire for her like a sinner

hoping for emancipation. She advised him to turn his mind towards

his own wives and forget her.. She asked him whether there is no one

in Lanka who could advise him in the right path and said that he was

going to destroy himself and his people by his own actions.

Then she started replying to his enticements. She told him that no one

could tempt her with riches and she is inseparable from Rama like the

light from the sun.

Raaghavathve abhavath seethaarukmiNee

krshnajanmani,

the divine mother incarnates along with the Lord in

Ramavatara and Krishnavathara and in other incarnations she was his

hrdhayavaasini

., seated in His heart as otherwise He could not show

mercy to His devotees.

She advised Ravana to reunite her with Rama for his own good or else

he will be destroyed. Rama‟s anger she said, is more terrible than

vajrayudha and the god of death himself. Otherwise he will see the

shower of arrows from the bow of Rama and Lakshmana very soon

who, like Garuda would destroy the rakshasas like serpents. She said

that Ravana was like a dog in front of the two tigers , Rama and

Lakshmana and his valour which he highly bragged about was very

well seen in his abducting her in the absence of Rama and Lakshmana

like a thief.

Ravana angered by her words said that though she deserved to be

killed for her talking thus to him, he was not doing so and reminded

her about what he said when he brought her to Lanka, that is , she

should accept him within twelve months time or else his men would

cut her into pieces and make her his breakfast and only two more

months were remaining of the stipulated time. The women who

followed him reassured Seetha that his words were only empty threats

by their gestures.

Seetha then told him that he was nearing his death and that was why

he was talking like that and except him no one in all the three worlds

would have looked upon her , who was the wife of Rama like Sachi to

Indra, with such intentions. She said that she regretted that there was

no one to turn him away from his sinful thoughts and he could not hide

from Rama anywhere and he was like a rabbit when compared with

Rama who was like an elephant. She wondered that his eyes, which

looked at her with desire, had not yet popped out and his tongue

which spoke such wicked words to her, who is the wife of Rama and

the daughter in law of Dasaratha, did not fall off.

Seetha said that she could have burnt him by the power of her

paathivrathya but did not do so because she could not act without the

command of Rama according to the dharma of a wife. She said that

she would wait patiently till Rama came and showed his valour and

destroy Ravana. She ridiculed Ravana saying that he was indeed a

hero and a fitting brother of Kubera and the master of a great army,

since he stole the wife of Rama after cunningly removing Rama from

the place.

Ravana became furious and said that he would kill her then and there.

But Dhaanyamaala., one of his wives pacified him saying that after all

Seetha was a human being who had nothing extraordinary compared

with his other wives who were celestial damsels and from all the three

worlds. Then Ravana went away with her after instructing the

rakshasis who were guarding Seetha to see that she somehow

agreed to become his wife. by coaxing or threatening.

The words of Seetha saying that she would have burnt Ravana but was

waiting for Rama to come and kill him is reflected by Thyagaraja in

his krthi „

maajaanaki,‟ in kaambhodhi. He says, vaani maatalanu

kopa kinchi kanta vadhiyinchalkaneyundi Srinayaka yasamu

neeke kalga jeyaledhaa, "

Did she not refrain from burning Ravana

with anger hearing his talk, in order to give the credit to you?" and he

further says that Rama attained the fame of being destroyer of Ravana

because he was

maajaanaki chetta bhatttaga, married to Seetha.

8. Seetha’s despair and the dream of Thrijata

.

After Ravana left the rakshasis started advising Seetha to forget Rama

and accept Ravana as her husband, praising Ravana and denouncing

Rama as a mere human being and one without kingdom and riches as

compared with Ravana who was the master of all the worlds. Seetha

replied that she was to Rama like Arundhathi to Vasishta, Rohini to

Chandhra, Lopaamudhra to Agasthya, Sukanya to Syavana, Savitri to

Sathyavaan, Nala to Dhamayanthi and others like them. The rakshasis

became angry and started threatening her that they would eat her if

she did not listen to them. Seetha told them that they could do as they

wish but she would never agree to their proposals. Thus saying Seetha

wept and went and stood under the sismsupa tree on which Hanuman

was hidden among the branches. She lamented that it was true that

no one could die before their time and hence she was still alive after

being separated from Rama. Expecting that the rakshasis were going

to eat her as they threatened, she thought that she was going to be

destroyed like a ship in the mid-ocean, without support tossed by a

strong wind. She wondered what evil deed had she done to deserve

that fate and felt helpless as she could not even take off her life

without the permission of her husband because she was a part and

parcel of him.

She told the rakshasis to cut her to pieces or eat her but she would

never touch Ravana even with her left foot. She wondered why was it

that Rama, who killed Khara and Dhooshana and their army single

handed and killed Viradha, did not come and rescue her till then. She

thought that perhaps Rama did not know her being in Lanka or else

he would have destroyed the rakshasa and Ravana by then.

Then Seetha said within a short time Rama and Lakshmana would

come and destroy Lanka along with rakshasaa and in every house

there will be crying even as she was crying then. This was not a curse

from Seetha but she was only predicting what was going to happen.

Seetha thought that she would be killed and eaten by the rakshasas

since Rama did not seem to come and perhaps he had forgotten or

forsaken her and had become a real sage renouncing all attachments.

She even thought in a weak moment that the rakshasas might have

killed Rama and Lakshmana by employing some kind of deception.

These are the feelings Valmiki attributed to her acting as a human

being . She went to the verge of despair, says Valmiki and was

thinking seriously of putting an end to her life.

At that time Thrijata , the daughter of Vibheehsana who was sleeping

got up by the clamour of the rakshasis threatening Seetha and said to

them that they could eat themselves but would never be able to harm

Seetha. She told them that she had a dream in which she saw Rama

wearing a garland of white flowers and a garment of white silk. And

was coming with Lakshmana on a palanquin made of ivory born by

thousand swans and flying in the sky. Seetha was seen, on the top of

a white mountain surrounded by the sea, similarly clad and Rama

getting down ascended a white elephant and came to her. Seetha got

on the elephant and sat on the lap of Rama. She got up from his lap

and touched the sun and the moon with her hands. Then Rama went

away towards north with Lakshmana and Seetha.

According to svapnasastra, climbing on bull, elephant, top of a house,

peak of a mountain and trees are supposed to bring good fortune and

grasping the moon and the sun by hands will result in winning a

kingdom.

Thrijata said that she also saw Ravana with shaved head and smeared

with oil, wearing red garment and drunk, falling down from the

pudshpaka vimana and going towards south on a chariot drawn by

donkeys. Kumbakarna and others were also seen going towards the

south , the direction of Yama, god of death and Vibheeshana adorned

with white umbrella and white garments was seen going in the sky

with four ministers. She also saw a monkey a messenger of Rama

burning Lanka.

Hence she cautioned the rakshasis from tormenting Seetha as Rama

would not tolerate it. As the dream signified the victory of Rama and

union of Seetha with him and the destruction of Ravanaa along with

the rakshasas she told the ralshasis to beg forgiveness of Seetha if

they wanted to survive. She also said that there were good omens that

Seetha was going to be happy soon.

But thinking on the short time limit set by Ravana, Seetha became

disheartened and thought of committing suicide by hanging from the

branch of the simsupa tree by her long hair and grasping her hair

looked up at the branch above. At that , moment she became aware of

some good omens which indicated that the end of her sufferings was

near. Her left eye and left shoulder throbbed, and her left thigh

throbbing as though Rama was in front. A bird entering into its nest

was chirping again and again as though consoling Seetha and

welcoming Rama. Seetha was encouraged by all this and became

expectant of some good news which she was about to hear.

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God