They meet again
He was a ‘thaamaraik kaadu,’ says the Poet. A forest of lotuses. Eyes of lotus, face of lotus, palms of lotus…
This beautiful suspense lasts for several days. Sita lives with the sole question, ‘Is this the boy who broke the bow in the presence of all, the same one whom I saw and fell in love with?’ These several days were the days that were spent in Janaka sending word for Dasaratha and Dasaratha reaching Mithila. There was no way of finding an answer for her. May be, this feeling, this pining, this pang of love was the preparation for her days in the Asoka Vana! Though one situation differs from the other greatly, the element of suspense is common in both. And even that element of suspense took different dimensions in the Asoka Vana.
But she was decided firmly about one thing. ‘solliya kuriyin ath thOndralE avan.’ From what she describes (it appears to me) that he is the same one. ‘allanEl irappen.’ If that is not so, I would (not marry him but) give up my life.
On the other hand, chances are that Rama might have come to know who the girl that he saw on the terrace was and that she was the one whom he is going to marry. The Poet deliberately keeps a tight lip on this until the very last moment. He brings the pleasant secret out when finally in the hall of marriage they see each other again. Not only that, he lets us know that Viswamitra had noticed that they glanced at each other on the day that preceded the day on which Rama broke the bow!
Kamban goes on a detailed description of the joy of the subjects of Mithila and those of Ayodhya who have come over to this city in some three hundred and more verses. His joy finds no limits when Rama is taken in a chariot to the hall of marriage. The people – sea of faces – that swarmed this handsome boy lost their hearts to him. He was a ‘thaamaraik kaadu,’ says the Poet. A forest of lotuses. Eyes of lotus, face of lotus, palms of lotus and feet of lotus. And all the lotuses assembled in a manly, muscular frame of pure black! As black as the cloud!
‘thOL kaNdaar thOLE kaNdaar.’ Those who set their eyes on his shoulders could not move their eyes from there. ‘thodu kazhal kamalam anna thaaL kaNdaar thaaLE kaNdaar.’ Those whose eyes fell on this lotus like feet followed only those feet with their eyes. ‘thadakkai kaNdaarum ahdhE.’ And those who saw his manly arms could not take their eyes away from them. ‘vaaL koNda kaNNaar yaarE vadivinai mudiyak kaNdaar!’ They saw just one particular limb of him and no more! Who was there in that crowd who saw him in full! The Poet continues. They resembled the ‘great votaries of Godhead, who see only the tiniest piece of the whole Truth and claim to have seen the whole!
A jewel-bedecked Sita is brought to the hall, to the delight of all. ‘engaL sey thavaththinil iraaman ena vandhOn,’ thought a happy Vasistha. The One who came into the family of Ayodhya bearing the name Rama, due to our penance of ages, ‘sanginodu chakkaramudaith thani mudhar pEr am-kaN arasu,’ is none other than the Supreme One of charming eyes, who bears the divine disc and the conch. The Supreme Lord is born in Ayodhya. ‘aadhalin,’ Therefore, ‘av alli malar pullum mangai ivaLaam’ it is no wonder that She is none other than the One who resides on the Lotus. She cannot be anyone other than Mahalakshmi herself!
And there in that hall, the divine couple set their eyes on each other once again. Rama’s mind that was calm till this point of time oscillates a little now! ‘Is this the same girl that I saw on the terrace the other day and fell in love with!’
She does exist, does she!
‘O, are you for real!’ Rama’s mind leapt up with wonder. ‘Does this koel of ruddy lips exist in this world also! Is she not a figment of my imagination!’
You know, when the Ocean of Milk was churned, it was Indra, the lord of celestials who took all the efforts that were needed to bring everyone there, including the ogres and the Trinity for the sake of the nectar that would bless them all with vitality and immortality. He was the coordinator, so to say, in the Project Nectar. He had to organise ever so many things before the purpose was attained. The churn-rod, Mount Meru, was not supported at the bottom and therefore started sinking while the process of churning was still going on. He had to rush to Lord Vishnu for a solution. When they were all anxiously awaiting the appearance of nectar, even before there were remote signs of its emergence, the ocean spewed venom, halahala. Once again Indra had to rush for help, this time from Lord Shiva.
Think of the state of mind he would have been in, at that time. They were churning the ocean for nectar and here it vomits the most dreaded of all venoms! It was once again he who collected all the celestials and ogres who ran away from that spot. And think of the intense kind of suspense that would have ruled his mind even moments before the appearance of nectar and also think of the joy that he would have been overwhelmed with when amrita finally did appear!
Rama was in such a state of mind, says the Poet. ‘annavaLai allaL, aam ena ayirppaan.’ His mind was vacillating from end to end. ‘Is this the same girl that I fell in love with the other day, that I am going to marry now, or is she not!’ ‘kanni amizhdhaththai edhir kaNda kadal vaNNan,’ and he who is as blue as the sea, finally saw the nectar-of-the-maiden. ‘uL uyir nilaippadhu Or aruththiyodu uzhaiththu, aaNdu in amudhu ezha kaLi koL indhiranum oththaan’. His mind was as joyful as Indra who toiled so hard for ages to organise the effort to churn the ocean, with the desire of immortality impelling him, and finally saw the nectar surfacing over the waves.
Rama whose soul was going through pangs of love was in such a state. He was so happy that he found the very source of his being before his eyes. Kamban quickly captures a wonderful moment. He moves our attention to the mind of Rama. ‘O, are you for real!’ Rama’s mind leapt up with wonder. ‘Does this koel of ruddy lips exist in this world also! Is she not a figment of my imagination!’ ‘nirath thuvar idhazhk kuyil,’ This cuckoo of red-lips, ‘ninaippinidai allaal,’ apart from existing in my memories, ‘puraththum uLaLO?’ does she exist in the real world also! I thought my mind created her for me to lose my heart to! ‘ena, manthodu pugandraan,’ he spoke thus, within himself, with his mind. The finest of feelings captured in the most exquisite of words.
Well, he came out of the question that was tantalising his mind. He is convinced that this was the girl that his eyes tripped on, mind flew to, and his existence depended on. He found his nectar. What happened to her? It is not that easy for a woman to lift her face up and look at the one who had stolen her heart, especially when she is among a sea of people! That natural feeling of shyness overwhelmed her. But this was a question of life and death for her now! She has to pacify her heart; she has to get herself convinced that this was the same boy! She cannot help but looking even if it was for a fleeting moment at the face of this boy who had stealthily gained entry into her heart!
My god! What a wonderful drama that Kamban has conceived! Call it joy, call it delight, call it excitement or call it euphoria! He follows the couple like a professional videographer and lights up the hearts of all.
He walked out of my dream
Her head was bent low. Her fingers were playing with her bangles. She raised one arm slightly up and the fingers of the other arm moved over the bangles…
In she entered like a frightened doe, her face and eyes lowered, her mind fighting hard to gain that courage to steal a glance for a moment, a trice a fraction of a second, to see him just for the sake of calming herself. Though she was convinced very much that here was the person who invaded her heart, the poor girl needed to assure herself. It was difficult for her move her head an inch above, while Rama was floating in the air of having at last found the nectar of his life. Even as she fell at the feet of Dasaratha and other elders, the people around, with tears welling up their eyes and their hands joining over their heads involuntarily, worshipped her.
After paying her obeisance to the elders, she reached the seat by the side of Janaka. ‘kaNgaL pani sOrum thaadhai.’ Janaka, whose eyes were full of tears. Tears of joy. ‘thaadhai arugu itta thavisil thani irundhaaL.’ She took her seat by the side of Janaka. Her mind is running riots. Finally, she made up her mind. Her fingers were playing with her bangles.
‘ey vaLai vil Etradhum iruthadhum uraiththum,’ Even though many had told her of the way he picked the bow up and broke it into two, ‘mei viLaivu idaththu mudhal ayyam vidal utraaL’ her heart was troubling her with the question, the doubt, again and again. And that doubt vanished from her mind at once. ‘ayyanai agaththu vadivE ala, puraththum,’ She saw her Lord, whose image her mind was filled up with. She saw his image both within and without.
But the very symbol of modesty, very peak of femininity, the very personification of flawless and immaculate qualities, how could she have looked at him at all! The Poet puts it very beautifully. ‘kai vaLai thiruthubu kadaik kaNNin nOkki.’ Her head was bent low. Her fingers were playing with her bangles. She raised one arm slightly up and the fingers of the other arm moved over the bangles as if to arrange them. Her head remained lowered. Her eyes moved up along with the bangles on the hand that rose a little up. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, while it appeared as if she was arranging her bangles. Her eyes twinkled. Her face lit up with the joy that filled her heart. ‘Yes. This is he! This was the boy! I found him at last!’ her heart soared high up in the sky.
The beauty of the scene lies in the fact that both Rama and Sita are in the same plane of mind one sees the other. ‘So, you do exist’ was his first reaction though within his mind. ‘You are not a dream. You are not just an illusion that mind wafted into in the tranquillity of an evening. You ARE real!’
And her feminine feelings, though similar to that of her Lord’s, varied a bit from his in that modesty demanded her to be true to her mind. That demand was on Rama as well, no doubt and Rama’s impeccable character would not have allowed him to go other way. But the feelings of Sita – as a woman – are something more special; something more beautiful; something more golden to be treasured.
The only other person who knew what transpired between these two loving hearts smiled to himself. Viswamitra. He must have noticed that the divine couple had known each other the day that preceded Rama’s breaking the bow. He was the only other person who could have understood that! The only other witness to the incident was Lakshmana. He could not in the first instance have noticed what had happened and Rama did not share his secret with him! More over, he must have forgotten his brother at least for a day – or perhaps less than that – with the thoughts of his Urmila.
Sita Kalyanam
It was the wedding of all the four brothers. And yet the event is known by only one name. Sita Kalyanam.
Apart from the fact whether Lakshmana was aware of the ‘exchange of glances and falling in love’ of the two or not, the Poet is silent on that. More over, as we have mentioned earlier, Rama for the only time forever in the epic, did not share the strange kind of feeling that filled his heart. But it cannot be said that sage Viswamitra could not have noticed that magical moment. And now, he is witness to another exchange of glances, ensconced to the eyes of all the others.
‘achchu ena ninaitha mudhal andhaNan ninaiththaan.’ Viswamitra thought that this (Sita) must have been the first mould that Brahma had for a model to create what is known as beauty in this earth. And he looked in the direction of Sri Rama and (smiled to himself) and thought. ‘pachchai malai oththa padivaththu adal iraaman,’ This valiant Rama, who resembles the great ‘green mountain’ ‘nachchudai vadikkaN malar nangai ivaL endraal,’ if it was for the sake of this girl, whose eyes are tinged with poison (of love that would eat into the soul) ‘ich chilai kidakka,’ let alone this bow of Shiva, ‘malai Ezhayum iraanO!’ would he not break the mountains seven!
‘I know Rama, I know. If you were asked to break even the tallest of the celebrated mountains seven, you doubtless would have done that in no time. Don’t I know that you are in love!’ The clue lies in the phrase ‘nachchu udai vadik kaN.’ Her eyes are made of hemlock! Your soul went for her in that first glimpse that lasted an aeon that day, and is dipped in hers. You would have done anything at that moment! You were simply asked to string the bow and shoot an arrow with it. You broke it into two, instead! I think if Janaka told you to break the Himalayas and other mountains, you would have done so, for you are powered by the love of this girl!
That is the excellent drama, a magnificent dream, a beautiful story of love that Kamban wove for us, moving away from the steps of Valmiki. If he can’t take liberties with his Lord, whom else can he to take! How lovely is the picture and how subtly soulful is the drama!
And thus the wedding, the most memorable, the most cherished of all weddings took place the next day. Marriages may be made in heaven. But this marriage came down from heaven. The divine picture that the Poets have drawn cannot be retold in any other manner that can even approach them anywhere even remotely. They have to be read and imbibed for a vision of that wonder. It was the marriage of king of kings, after all! It has to be that grand!
Siradhwaja – Janaka – must have been the happiest of them all. He could not think of sending the other three brothers back without giving his daughter Urmila and the daughters of his brother Kusadhwaja, to them. “King Janaka, filled with rapture, said (to Lakshmana) ‘Lakshmana, come along; may good betide you! Accept Urmila (being) given away by me. Take her hand (in your own), let there be no loss of time.’ Having requested him (Lakshmana) thus, Janaka spoke to Bharata too (as follows): - ‘Clasp the hand of Mandavi with your O Scion of Raghu!’ The pious king of Mithila further said to Satrughna. ‘Take in your hand O mighty-armed prince, the hand of Srutakirti. You are all gentle and have all duly observed sacred vows (of celibacy etc.) Let yourselves be married O scions of Kakutstha! Let there be no delay.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, Canto LXXIII, Sloka 29-34)
It was the wedding of all the four brothers. And yet the event is known by only one name. Sita Kalyanam. She is so endeared to the hearts of all that though Kamban calls it ‘kadi maNap padalam,’ The Canto of Marriage, people call the occasion by her name. Sita Kalyanam. A tribute to the ruler of the boudoir, and the bulwark of purity indeed!
My heaven is where thou art!
How happy she must have been when her husband, the joy of the people, the pride of Ayodhya, encountered the terror of kshatriyas, Parasurama…
That was a beautiful beginning indeed for all the trials, travails and acid tests that came her way in later days. How happy she must have been when her dream came true! ‘My heart has already decided and will not go back,’ was what she vowed. She even went to the extent of deciding to give her life up if the person who broke the bow happened to be somebody other than Rama. ‘என் ஆசையின் கனி’ The fruit of all my love, is one of the many ways in which she is going to refer to him, later, when put under extreme pressure by Ravana. And what a bridegroom! What a wonderful match! Which other pair can be best suited for the phrase ‘made for each other!’
‘ புத்திமாந், மதுரபாஷி, பூர்வபாஷி, ப்ரியம்வத:,’ are a few of the epithets that Valmiki attributes to Rama. Intelligent, sweet spoken, willing to speak first and he was careful about the choice of words, specific about the elegance and aptness of the words that he used to express himself. He had no taste for arguments that had nothing to do with truth, righteousness and fairness. ‘ வக்தா வாசஸ்பதி: யதா.’ In a logical debate, he was as eloquent as the god of speech.
How happy she must have been when her husband, the joy of the people, the pride of Ayodhya, encountered the terror of kshatriyas, Parasurama, on their way from Mithila to Ayodhya, in a very calm and collected manner, as against the desperation that showed itself in the speech of her father-in-law, and quickly – practically in no time – robbed the sage of his pride. The fear that the pleadings of her father-in-law had generated in her mind must have been softened by the tremendous self-confidence with which her husband handled the situation. What can be more delightful for a new bride!
Life moved joyfully on for twelve years. There is no explicit reference about this period of twelve years either in Valmiki or in Kamban. Kamban is silent about this period. There is no mention about the time that passed from the time of marriage to the day on which Rama was decided to be appointed as the Prince Regent. This calculation is done by expert interpretations of a Sloka in Valmiki that Kausalya utters to Sri Rama when the latter is exiled. We will go into that when we study Rama.
The first twelve years were obviously spent in perfect joy, harmony and love, though both the Poets are silent about this period. The first test of character – or should we rather call it test of love – came when Sri Rama was exiled and he decided to go to the forest, alone, not taking her with him. That probably was the first argument that Devi had with her consort. An argument born of super-abundance of love. ‘ நின் பிரிவினும் சுடுமோ காடு ?’ she counters Rama, when the latter prefers to go to the forest alone and advises her that the life in forest is full of difficulties, miseries and sufferings. ‘Would that be greater than the pangs of separation, darling!’ Sita quips. ‘My heaven is where thou art!’
Let’s go into the scene now.
The power of love I
But we are not only surprised but are shocked to listen to the words of Sita when she receives him in their private chamber.
The scene of Rama breaking the news of his exile to Sita in Valmiki Ramayana takes us by surprise. We do not see the splendid son who accepted it calmly when Kaikeyi pronounced the ‘supposed order’ of the king to leave for the jungle. “No change of mood of mood was perceived in him any more than in a master – Yogi – who surpasses all (common) men (because of his having risen above all pairs of opposites) – even though he was ready to retire to the woods and was renouncing the sovereignty to the (entire) globe.” This is how he took the order from Kaikeyi. (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Canto XIX, Sloka 33.) Nor do we see the calm and controlled elder brother who pacifies a raging volcano of Lakshmana. He is quite different when he is in the presence of his endeared Sita, his wife, his love, his innermost heart-of-heart.
Rama’s breaking the news to Sita is preceded by his visit to the chamber of Kausalya. His face shone as brightly as the full moon when he met Kausalya, his mother, says the Poet. Nor could Kausalya see any difference in his countenance that remained as sweet as ever. He clung to her with his arms around her neck and she smelt his head. Neither did Rama show any difference of expression nor did Kausalya read any signs of remorse from his actions. “May you attain the age and renown of ancient royal sages of virtuous conduct and possessing a noble soul, and acquire virtue, worthy of your race! (Please go and) see, O scion of Raghu, your royal father, who is true to his promise. That pious soul is going to install you in the office of Prince Regent this very day.” (Ibid, Canto XX, Sloka 23 and 24)
Even up to this point of time Rama displaying a brave façade and Kausalya is still under the impression that he is – within a couple of hours or so – about to be appointed as the Prince Regent. Well, it would be nothing less than arrogance to suspect his feelings, his sincerity and his sense of duty. But we are not only surprised but are shocked to listen to the words of Sita when she receives him in their private chamber. ‘Why! What happened to you! Why are you looking so pale, lifeless and dull!’ is how she receives him. Moments back Rama was with his mother and even she could not read any difference in his appearance. Not until Rama himself announces the decision to enthrone Bharata and to exile him in a matter-of-fact voice, without showing any pain or remorse could Kausalya know or even guess any such thing. But, here is Sita. Listen to her.
“Seeing him pale of countenance, bathed in perspiration and unable to restrain his grief, Sita (who felt sore stricken with grief) said, “What is this now, my Lord……… Your lovely countenance does not shine splendidly as it should when canopied by an umbrella white as foam and provided with a hundred ribs. Nor is your lotus-eyed face (I find) being fanned (as it should) with a pair of excellent chowries shining like moon and swan.” (Ibid, Canto XXVI, Sloka 8, 10 and 11)
But was there grief in the mind of Rama? Does it not sound strange?
The Power of Love II
That shows Rama so human, so close to us. Not a single one of us could resist himself from taking delight in the thought, ‘O was that so! Was he like me!’
Our immediate purpose is not to go into that question. This is not the time to study the mind of Raghava as shown by the Poet nor to seek an answer for the whys and hows of the existence of grief in him, and how and why he appeared differently et al. As I had occasion to mention in the last post, it would be nothing less than sheer arrogance to question the sincerity of Sri Rama. We will take this up later. But grief was there in his heart. Of this, the Poet does not mince words. He is so plain, straight and simple.
Just two Slokas preceding the address of Sita, that is in the sixth and seventh Slokas of the same Canto (Canto XXVI of Ayodhya Kanda) Valmiki says, “Forthwith springing up from her seat, Sita tremblingly saw her celebrated husband stricken with grief, his mind perplexed with anxiety. Seeing her the said Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), whose mind was given to righteousness could not contain that grief existing in his mind; hence it became manifest. ‘tam shokam raghavaha sodum tato vivrutataam gataha.”
There was grief in his mind. That could not be contained any longer, in the presence of his wife. A grief that he could stoically not show before Kaikeyi, a grief that did not manifest itself before Lakshmana, who is nothing other than his own mind and his own soul, whom he held above everything else, a grief that could not be read by his very own mother Kausalya, could not be kept under check any longer before Sita!
That shows Rama so human, so close to us. Not a single one of us could resist himself from taking delight in the thought, ‘O was that so! Was he like me!’ The greatness of the Poet lies in the fact that he has not sieved the character of Rama through a filter of so-many-microns and presented only the super-human qualities of him. Rama displayed many a human quality very much like us in many respects. When the Lord chose to take a human form, he lived as a human being after all!
“Then when he went before Sita, it was still worse,” says Right Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastriyar referring to this scene. He continues, “Natural. We like to feel that Rama behaved as you and I would have behaved in similar circumstances. Probably we should have wept and rolled on the floor. Rama too was susceptible to some extent. … … Instead of coming back rejoicing and jumping, he wore a sad and thoughtful countenance, and Sita was struck with grief to see him.”
I am not able to see another scene in the entire Valmiki Ramayana that comes close to this one, where Rama has such a private feeling that he does not let even Lakshmana know of it. This even appears to shake the belief that Lakshmana was dearer to him than Sita, though it cannot in any way be denied that between the two of the most endeared, Rama held his brother dearer than Sita in many respects.
It was not a question of trust. Who else could he have trusted other than Lakshmana! But the point is, he could not let him know his feelings at this point of time, as Lakshmana was agitated already. That would have intensified Lakhsmana’s feelings, aggravated the situation. Whatever it is, the fact remains that Janaki is the only one to whom he opened his heart out. And also the fact that when the heart melts at the sight of the loved one, it is not stout enough to hold a secret, a secret any more!
Bid me good-bye, would you?
Compare the Sloka with what Rama uttered to Kausalya. The message is the same. But one can see that the emotions that show through his words now…
That was the depth of love that prevailed between the two. That Rama could not hold the innermost recesses of his heart shut tightly any more – as he could remain before his mother and his brother – and that his feelings flowed out so very naturally the moment he saw the one and only asylum for his troubled soul is a quick but indeed a vivid stroke that the expert hand of the Poet has drawn to illustrate the love that Rama had for his Sita.
Rama then quickly narrates the predicament of his father due to the boons that he had given earlier to Kaikeyi and the change of decision that it had resulted in. “The preparations for my consecration, arranged through the emperor’s endeavour, being complete today, the king was pressed hard by her to grant those boons and, having been bound with an oath, was completely brought under her thumb n grounds of morality. I must take up my abode in the forest of Dandaka for fourteen years and furthermore Bharata has been nominated by my father for the office of Prince Regent.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Canto XXVI, Sloka 22 and 23)
Compare the Sloka with what Rama uttered to Kausalya. The message is the same. But one can see that the emotions that show through his words now, are absent absolutely there. “The emperor is conferring the office of Prince Regent on Bharata and exiling me to the Dandaka forest as an ascetic on the other hand. As such I shall live in a lonely forest for six years and eight, wearing the barks of wild trees and living on fruits and roots.” (Ibid, Canto XX, Sloka 30 and 31)
The words sound rather plain. His voice must have been as flat as that of a TV newsreader. The Slokas in question do not say anything about the King or Kaikeyi. ‘The king has appointed Bharata as Prince Regent instead. I will spend fourteen years in the forest.’ That is what Rama says and the words do not refer either to the situation, or to the qualities of Dasaratha or that of Kaikeyi.
As against this, read the Sloka by which Sri Rama narrates the decision to Sita. “The king was pressed hard by her to grant those boons,’ he says. ‘The King had no choice in the matter. He was pressed hard by Kaikeyi. He was kept under her thumb. He had no other go.’ The attitude is more conciliatory towards Dasaratha and not so towards Kaikeyi. He expresses what his heart is loaded with at the moment – repeat, at the moment – now. Emotions show through now. The kind of remarks that he did not utter to Kausalya and could not utter to Lakshmana flow out freely now. Kausalya, though his mother, was a queen too as was Kaikeyi and he could not set one against the other. Lakshmana obviously was not in a frame of mind that could have received these words calmly. He would have been set on fire the moment Rama let him know his feelings.
But here, here lies his heart. Here lies the sanctuary of his emotions. Here is the very core of his being. There are no constraints that stop him from speaking his heart out. He is so comfortable with his loved one, and he pours his heart out.
Rama does not stop there. ‘I have come to take leave of you,’ he tells Sita. I am exiled. You stay here. You look after my mother and father, as you would your own. Take care of Bharata and Satrughna. “As such I have come to see you while on my ay to the lonely forest (of Dandaka). I should never be praised by you in the presence of Bharata (whenever he calls on you in order to pay his respects to you, lest you should forfeit his goodwill).” (Ibid, Sloka, 24)
‘Don’t speak highly of me in the presence of Bharata. You may tend to speak of my good nature (as you perceive it) in giving up the throne in his favour. Do not do so.’
Elaborate instructions of a loving husband who has a very long term lying before him, to serve in separation indeed!
A child-like exterior
Her arguments sound too innocent in the beginning. She speaks like a child and gives out a ‘very valid’ reason for her being taken to the jungle.
The arguments between Sri Rama and Janaki run to over three cantos and more than seventy-five Slokas are exchanged between them, Rama pacifying and persuading her and Sita appealing to him against his will. ‘It is to the husband that a woman takes to as her sole refuge. You are my asylum. “Father, mother, brother, son and daughter-in-law, my darling, reap each his or her destiny enjoying their own merits (earned in their previous lives). A wife alone actually shares the fortune of her husband, O jewel among men! For this very reason I too stand enjoined by my parents-in-law) that I should as well take up my abode in the forest.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Canto XXVII, Sloka 4 and 5)
‘After a period of time in the life of any person, every other relation moves in his or her own way, as is destined. Not the wife. She shares all the joys and sorrows of her husband. She remains with him till her or his end. My parents-in-law will have no difficulty in permitting me to go with you for this very reason. It is for this reason, I should also go with you to the forest.’
Her arguments sound too innocent in the beginning. She speaks like a child and gives out a ‘very valid’ reason for her being taken to the jungle. ‘There is an advantage in your taking me with you.’
“If you depart this very day for the forest (of Dandaka) which is difficult to penetrate, O scion of Raghu, I shall walk ahead of you crushing (under my soles) blades of (the sacred) Kusa grass and thorns (that lie in the way).” (Ibid, Sloka 7)
The forest must be dense, or I think it should be so. There would be no path to tread on. I would walk ahead of you. My feet would bend the grass and make it easy for you to walk on. I would remove the thorns that lie in your way, while I walk ahead of you!’
One is not able to resist the smile that flits to the lips so very naturally at this innocence. Whose feet are tenderer between the two! Would Rama ever allow her to walk ahead of him in the forest, though he is not prepared take her with him now, allowing her to bear the difficulties! Her child-like innocence makes her to speak that way. It of course is to be seen that this is only an exterior that is superimposed on a very matured, a very evolved, a very sensible personality. She takes to baby talking only when she is with her Rama. It is this quality to which Tamil literature refers to as ‘madam.’ Innocence, or feigned ignorance. It is a quality that is supposed to be exhibited only to the one who rules her heart. It is with him, after all, that she can – and is supposed to – take liberties with. Was this sweet innocence not the reason for him to go in pursuit of the golden deer!
Though she sounds so naïve, she is not to be taken for granted. She has her way with words. She knows how to present her case. If innocence doesn’t appeal, she would appeal to his emotions; if that doesn’t work, she would prevail over his intellect! But always with love. Always with ‘him’ at the centre and not herself.
When the heart speaks
A knife should be held by its handle! The emotions that swell in the mind of Sita have to be seen in perspective and taken into account accordingly
This particular scene in Valmiki Ramayana has more surprises in store for us. They would even shock those of us who tend to look at the words of Sita uttered during this conversation with her endeared husband with the eyes of an intellect. “A mind all logic is like a knife all blades. It hurts the hand that uses it,” wrote Rabindranath Tagore. A knife should be held by its handle! The emotions that swell in the mind of Sita have to be seen in perspective and taken into account accordingly, before anyone dares to pass any judgement on this dazzling diamond of a character.
Well, that is a small prelude to something that sounds harsh in the words of Sita and have been held with critical eyes, as Right Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastriyar points out, including those of the greatest of commentators of Valmiki Ramayana, Govindaraja. We will go into the scene more fully now.
The child-like beginning of her arguments, which we saw in our last post, did not in any way impress Sri Rama. We see her moving above that level now, in the very next Sloka. She speaks of conjugal duties. ‘It is your duty to take me wherever you go,’ she insists. ‘I am your wife and is like water that is partly drunk by a man from a vessel. As the person carries the vessel around since he has drunk from it, it is your duty to take me with you since I am your water and I am that vessel.’
“Casting away envy (at my courage in voluntarily offering to accompany you to the forest) and wrath (at my insolence in flouting your command to stay in Ayodhya), confidently take me (with you) as one would take water remaining (in one’s pot) after one has drunk it once, O valiant prince!” (Valmiki Ramayana, Canto XXVII, Sloka 8)
‘You say life in the jungle is difficult and dangerous too. I know you are capable of protecting me from the dangers, my darling!’ she makes the next move in the direction of reasoning. “(As for yourself), you are indeed capable of duly supporting in the forest (even) other men (who are not related to you) much more myself (who am your wedded wife and entirely dependent on you), O Rama, who bestow on others.” (Ibid, Sloka 14)
‘I know your nature is such that you will not give up your Dharma of protection even when you are in the forest. You will continue to protect those who have taken to their pursuits in the jungle, though they are in no way related to you. When such being so, would it be so difficult for you to save me, to protect me, to defend me? Take me with you my Rama!’
Save these words for a later conversation in the jungle when Sita questions Sri Rama for having assured the sages to protect them by eliminating the demons from the face of the earth. That is another piece of conversation that is often quoted against her. All Logic. That is the trouble with the critics. The mind should be given its due and proper place sometimes above the brain, if at all Truth is kept in focus.
A word for those readers who have not seen anything harsh in the words of Sita, as mentioned in the beginning of this instalment, please wait. We will have to travel a little more.
Hari Krishnan