Sita - Part 10 - திருத்த வரலாறு

08:37, 1 மார்ச் 2010 இல் Hariki

2010-03-01T08:37:11Z

06:37, 25 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Dev

2010-02-25T06:37:00Z

17:52, 24 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Dev

2010-02-24T17:52:57Z

17:33, 24 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Dev

2010-02-24T17:33:01Z

17:29, 24 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Dev

2010-02-24T17:29:38Z

17:18, 24 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Dev

2010-02-24T17:18:31Z

17:08, 24 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Dev

2010-02-24T17:08:15Z

Hariki: Sita – Part 10, Sita - Part 10 என்றத் தலைப்புக்கு நகர்த்தப் பட்டுள்ளது

2010-02-16T06:06:19Z

Sita – Part 10, Sita - Part 10 என்றத் தலைப்புக்கு நகர்த்தப் பட்டுள்ளது

08:19, 6 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Hariki

2010-02-06T08:19:13Z

10:04, 22 ஜனவரி 2010 இல் Hariki

2010-01-22T10:04:10Z

@@ வரிசை 5: / வரிசை 5: @@
 “A daughter of the high-souled Janaka, king of Mithila, Sita by name, I am the beloved consort of Sri Rama. May all be well with you! Having lived for twelve years in the palace of the kings of Ikswaku’s line and enjoying the luxuries available to humankind, I lived in the midst of an abundance of all (kinds of) enjoyments.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XLVII, Sloka 2 – 4)
-‘I lived in the palace of Ayodhya for twelve long years, enjoying the best of things that is available for humankind. And then, when my husband was asked to give up everything and go on exile, he did so gladly. I followed him.’ Ravana should have understood the heart of this woman at that very moment. If it was gold, diamonds and the luxuries of life in palace that were important to her, she would have very well stayed back in the palace of Ayodhya. She was not exiled after all, and her husband did not insist that she should accompany him! It was she who gave up everything so readily, willingly and followed him because ‘her heaven lies where he is.’ Could she be tempted with gold and diamonds! They were mere metal and stones for her. Could the promise of ‘loads and loads of metal and stones’ move her away from her Rama !
+‘I lived in the palace of Ayodhya for twelve long years, enjoying the best of things that is available for humankind. And then, when my husband was asked to give up everything and go on exile, he did so gladly. I followed him.’ Ravana should have understood the heart of this woman at that very moment. If it was gold, diamonds and the luxuries of life in palace that were important to her, she would have very well stayed back in the palace of Ayodhya. She was not exiled after all, and her husband did not insist that she should accompany him! It was she who gave up everything so readily, willingly and followed him because ‘her heaven lies where he is.’ Could she be tempted with gold and diamonds! They were mere metal and stones for her. Could the promise of ‘loads and loads of metal and stones’ move her away from her Rama&nbsp;!
 She is enraged by the desire of this ‘sage’ (who has not yet shed his camouflage and emerged in his original form). ‘I am devoted to my husband,’ she declares. Look at the love, admiration and devotion that drip through every epithet that she uses to describe Sri Rama.
@@ வரிசை 11: / வரிசை 11: @@
 “I have taken a vow to follow (the mind of) Sri Rama, my husband, who is unshakeable like a big mountain, who is a compeer of the mighty Indra, and who is imperturbable like the ocean. I have taken a vow to follow (the wishes of) the highly blessed Sri Rama, who is richly endowed with all auspicious bodily marks, who affords shelter to all like a banyan tree and who is true to his promise. I am devoted to the mighty-armed Sri Rama, a lion among men, who is distinguished by a broad chest, who walks with the proud gait of a lion and resembles a lion (in prowess). I follow the vows of the mighty armed Sri Rama, whose countenance resembles the full moon, who delights all, who is the foremost of kings, who has mastered his senses, and who is of wide renown. Nevertheless, you, a jackal, covet me, a lioness (so) hard to win here. I am incapable (even) of being touched by you as the glow of the sun.” (Ibid, Sloka 33-37)
 I am like the glow of the sun, which can only be perceived, but could not be touched. Is it possible for anyone to pick up a handful of that immense light flooding the earth? And if you still try to do so, know this. ‘ அக்நிம் ப்ரஜ்வலிதம்&nbsp; த்ருஷ்ட்வா&nbsp; வஸ்த்ரேண&nbsp; ஆஹர்த்தும்&nbsp; இச்சஸி ’ Your desire is like the desire to bundle up the blazing fire in a piece of cloth, even after knowing that it is fire. Do not play with fire. I will burn you down.
 = Carrying her away  =
@@ வரிசை 39: / வரிசை 39: @@
 I have heard scholars, in a hushed voice, describing the impossible angles by which she would have been carried. Maheshvara Tiirtha says that Ravana, an expert in all sciences, caught her by the shadow of her hair and the shadow of her thighs. Rama Tilaka, who sees a devotee of Mahalakshmi in Ravana, feels that he caught her by her feet, as she was his personal deity. There is another theory that states that Sri Rama left a Maya Sita before he went after the golden deer. This Maya Sita was in the prison of Ravana until the end of the war and performed self-immolation and the real Sita emerged from the pyre. Far fetched theories! Valmiki did not intend that! The third theory, especially, the Maya Sita theory needs some more discussion and we will take it up presently.
 The description is very simple. We should remember that she was in a helpless condition, semi-conscious, or nearly unconscious, with the ogre catching her by her tresses. She is falling down on the ground; but is held by her locks. Ravana held her by the nape of neck, and lifted her off the ground while she was falling semi-conscious, with his hand underneath her legs. She was carried across the chest as babies are carried. The picture is quite simple. ‘I was helpless at that time,’ says Sita, of this moment. She uses the word ‘ விவசா ’ helpless, thrice, referring to this moment, on three different occasions.
 = Was he a devotee?  =
@@ வரிசை 55: / வரிசை 55: @@
 If Ravana carried her off because he was her devotee, then we should find other suitable explanations for his behaviour; his attitude to her and the lusty and lewd words that he uttered to her. That takes away the purpose behind the way in which the characters are structured. That makes the Text laboured besides coming between the Epic and what it stands for.
 Let us now see the Maya Sita theory in brief.
 = Clever but not convincing  =
@@ வரிசை 83: / வரிசை 83: @@
 A rough elaboration of the Sloka would read as follows. ‘I am being carried away by this demon who assumes any form at will. I have seen that ability of his with my own eyes. He walked in the form of a Brahmin, old and withered, chanting the Vedas and now he walked out of our hermitage with the most terrifying of forms. What are you doing O mighty-armed Lakshmana, when he is carrying me away! Is it not your duty to protect me! Did you not see him carrying me away!’
-That, once again, is a confirmation of what we have already seen, on what she really thought of Lakshmana and how he held him in her heart. (See: Here lies her heart) She wails to the river, birds, mountain, plants and trees, pleading with them to convey that she has been carried away. She asks them to mention to Rama the state in which she was carried off.
+That, once again, is a confirmation of what we have already seen, on what she really thought of Lakshmana and how he held him in her heart. (See: [http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Sita_-_Part_9#Here_lies_her_heart Here lies her heart]) She wails to the river, birds, mountain, plants and trees, pleading with them to convey that she has been carried away. She asks them to mention to Rama the state in which she was carried off.
 <blockquote>“Nay I offer salutations to (all) those deities who dwell in this forest, full of various trees, and pray to them: ‘(Kindly) speak to my husband of my having been borne away. I seek the protection of all the animals of different species, the herds of deer and the flocks of birds, which actually dwell in this forest and pray: ‘Kindly tell my husband of his beloved spouse, more valuable (to him) than his very life being borne away and add the following: ‘ விவசா&nbsp; அபஹ்ருதா ஸீதா&nbsp; ராவணேந இதி&nbsp; சம்ஸத ’ Your Sita has been carried away by Ravana, helpless as she was.” (Ibid, Sloka 32 – 34) </blockquote>
 Tell him that she has been carried away by an ogre and lay stress on the point that she was helpless. She was not in control.
 This is what she would tell Hanuman and Rama himself, later.
 = This is what she has to say – Part II  =
@@ வரிசை 105: / வரிசை 105: @@
 Of course, the discussion on this scene is for a later date. But the point is, she states consistently, whenever she recollects of this moment that she was, ‘helpless and semi-conscious.’ I was not under my control. Listen to her in the very next Sloka in the above scene. “That which is under my control, viz., my heart (ever) abides in you.” (Ibid, Sloka 9)
 We will now take up what Kamban has to say.
 = Ore and Ornament  =
@@ வரிசை 133: / வரிசை 133: @@
 are more calculated to injure than help his cause.”
-That is why Ravana does not announce that he is Ravana, as he does in Valmiki Ramayana. He introduces himself as a sanyasi, living under the care of Ravana and uses the opportunity to pay rich encomiums to the demon king. He cleverly slips information on Ravana to entice her heart. (See: Cow in tiger’s skin II) Janaki is not able to digest this inconsistency. She, for the first time, hears a sanyasi speaking so very richly of a demon. She asks, ‘How can you, who have given up attachments of all kinds, who does not have attachment towards your very own frame and consider it an unnecessary burden and would shed it without hesitation at the right time, reside under the protection of an ogre?’
+That is why Ravana does not announce that he is Ravana, as he does in Valmiki Ramayana. He introduces himself as a sanyasi, living under the care of Ravana and uses the opportunity to pay rich encomiums to the demon king. He cleverly slips information on Ravana to entice her heart. (See: [http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Ravana_-_Part_3#Cow_in_tiger.E2.80.99s_skin_II Cow in tiger’s skin II]) Janaki is not able to digest this inconsistency. She, for the first time, hears a sanyasi speaking so very richly of a demon. She asks, ‘How can you, who have given up attachments of all kinds, who does not have attachment towards your very own frame and consider it an unnecessary burden and would shed it without hesitation at the right time, reside under the protection of an ogre?’
 Ravana sanyasi realises that he has committed a mistake by praising him so openly. ‘vallOr iyarkayin nirpadhu allaal, iyatral aam neri en?’ he asks. ‘What can one do? One has to adapt oneself to circumstances. That is the way of the world. One has to conduct oneself in accordance with the nature of the demons, when one lives under their benevolence.’ This leads Sita to console the sanyasi saying that her husband has vowed to blot out all demonic forces from the face of the earth and therefore the ‘sanyasi’ need not be worried. The conversation moves with Ravana telling her that it is not possible for anyone to overpower Rakshasa might. When that being so the puny two-handed human creature that Rama would ‘fly off like the petals of a dainty flower when blown away by storm, beaten by the force of wind that those mighty twenty arms of Ravana would set off, when he moved about.’
-Janaki, who is still under the impression that the sanyasi is mistaken about the prowess of her husband, reassures him, citing the Tataka, Viradha, Kara Dusana incidents. Ravana’s pride is slighted at that description and he bursts forth, with ten heads and twenty mighty shoulders, from the thin and emaciated sanyasi’s shell. We have narrated this scene and the essence of their conversation, earlier. (See: Dog desiring the divine)
+Janaki, who is still under the impression that the sanyasi is mistaken about the prowess of her husband, reassures him, citing the Tataka, Viradha, Kara Dusana incidents. Ravana’s pride is slighted at that description and he bursts forth, with ten heads and twenty mighty shoulders, from the thin and emaciated sanyasi’s shell. We have narrated this scene and the essence of their conversation, earlier. (See: [http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Ravana_-_Part_3#Dog_desiring_the_divine Dog desiring the divine])
 Kamban develops the drama convincingly and in consonance with the dramatis personae and the respective roles that they play at this particular moment.
@@ வரிசை 163: / வரிசை 163: @@
 <br>
-[http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Sita_%E2%80%93_Part_9 Sita IX]
+<br>
-−
-[http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Sita_%E2%80%93_Part_11 Sita XI]
 <br><br>
 [[Category:Sita]]

@@ வரிசை 44: / வரிசை 44: @@
 <blockquote>If Ravana carried her off because he was her devotee, then we should find other suitable explanations for his behaviour; his attitude to her… </blockquote>
 The uncanny ability of many a commentator to unearth unseen explanations, hidden meanings and often, esoteric interpretations has always baffled me. For example, I came across this interpretation of a Sloka that is a part of the speech of Ravana, when speaking to Sita, just moments before the abduction.
-<blockquote>kaiH guNaiH anuraktaa asi muuDhe paNDita maanini |<br>yaH striyaa vacanaat raajyam vihaaya sasuhRit janam || <br>asmin vyaala anucarite vane vasati dur.hmatiH <br>(Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto 49, Sloka 14 and 15 (Part) </blockquote>
+<blockquote>கை:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; குணை:&nbsp;&nbsp; அநுரக்தா&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; அஸி&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; மூடே&nbsp;&nbsp; பண்டித மாநிநீ&nbsp;&nbsp; ||</blockquote><blockquote>ய:&nbsp; ஸ்த்ரியா&nbsp; வசநாத் ராஜ்யம்&nbsp; விஹாய&nbsp; ஸஸுஹ்ருத்&nbsp; ஜநம்| <br>அஸ்மிந்&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; வ்யால&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; அநுசரிதே&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; வநே &nbsp;&nbsp; வஸதி&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; துர்மதி: ||<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto 49, Sloka 14 and 15 (Part) </blockquote>
 A simple and direct translation of the Sloka reads as follows: What are the merits of that Rama that justify your passions for him? You are illiterate, but seem to consider yourself widely read. That mindless Rama gave up the kingdom and its kind-hearted people and is dwelling in this forest where predators are on the prowl.”
 The commentator, of course an ancient commentator, who is enthusiastic about calling Ravana a devotee of Mahalakshmi, gives the following interpretation.
-<blockquote>‘muuDhe paNDita maaninii mayi bhaava praNiiyataam’ Although I am an unread stupid, grace me too because I am your servant for a long time. Further, Rama is ‘raajyaat cyutam’ 'not fallen from kingship, but he has contempt for kingly pleasures, he thrusts these small things back with his foot...' why because a + siddha artham - ashca asau siddha arthaH ca ' Vishnu is one with His purposes fulfilled... thus He does not care for a petty kingdom, when He is the King of Kings...' </blockquote>
+<blockquote>‘&nbsp; மூடே பண்டித&nbsp; மாநிநீ&nbsp; மயி&nbsp; பாவ&nbsp; ப்ரணீயதாம் ’ Although I am an unread stupid, grace me too because I am your servant for a long time. Further, Rama is ‘ ராஜ்யாத்&nbsp; ச்யுதம் ’ 'not fallen from kingship, but he has contempt for kingly pleasures, he thrusts these small things back with his foot...' why because&nbsp; அ + ஸித்த&nbsp; அர்த்தம் -&nbsp; அஸ்ச அஸௌ ஸித்த&nbsp; அர்த்த: ச&nbsp; ' Vishnu is one with His purposes fulfilled... thus He does not care for a petty kingdom, when He is the King of Kings...' </blockquote>
-The allegation that ‘you are illiterate’ is skilfully polished to mean ‘I am ignorant’. The commentator goes on: You are in passionate love with him because of his shiila indefinable, illimitable auspicious merits. ‘anuraktaa asi’ you are impassioned for such a Vishnu, and I have no objection for that, but bless me too. ‘durmati&nbsp;: duSTeSu api matiH - anugraahikaa buddhi’ He is not a mindless person, but he has a mind for the mindless and bad-minded persons like me. So please come with me and let your husband follow you to Lanka and accord salvation, as planned by you all.
+The allegation that ‘you are illiterate’ is skilfully polished to mean ‘I am ignorant’. The commentator goes on: You are in passionate love with him because of his shiila indefinable, illimitable auspicious merits. ‘&nbsp; அநுரக்தா&nbsp; அஸி ’ you are impassioned for such a Vishnu, and I have no objection for that, but bless me too. ‘ துர்மதி: துஷ்டேஷு அபி மதி: - அநுக்ராஹிகா புத்தி ’ He is not a mindless person, but he has a mind for the mindless and bad-minded persons like me. So please come with me and let your husband follow you to Lanka and accord salvation, as planned by you all.
 In short, Ravana is inviting Sita to his palace, so that Rama can follow and kill him as planned. The commentator cites the story in the Bhagavata Mahapurana that Ravana and Kumbakarna are originally Jaya and Vijaya, the doorkeepers of Lord Narayana, and therefore Ravana must naturally be called the devotee of Mahalakshmi. The arguments have their validity, of course, in their own way. That Jaya and Vijaya wanted to be liberated from their present birth and return to their original posts soon, sounds plausible in that the interpretation testifies to the ingenuity of the commentator to find what is unseen and support it with the Text. But such interpretations, clever, skilful and scholarly though they are, change the entire tone of the epic and make us lose sight of the very purpose of the avatar and help only to lead us astray, necessitating us to find far-fetched and rearranged explanations at every other step.
@@ வரிசை 55: / வரிசை 55: @@
 If Ravana carried her off because he was her devotee, then we should find other suitable explanations for his behaviour; his attitude to her and the lusty and lewd words that he uttered to her. That takes away the purpose behind the way in which the characters are structured. That makes the Text laboured besides coming between the Epic and what it stands for.
 Let us now see the Maya Sita theory in brief.
 = Clever but not convincing  =

@@ வரிசை 99: / வரிசை 99: @@
 ‘Eru sEvagan mEni allaal,’ says Kamban’s Sita. ‘But for Rama, the lion among warriors, ‘idai aaru aimpori ninnayum aaN enak kUrum,’ (the world would say that) you are a male, though I know that you are in absolute control of the five-senses and are above all that is petty ‘iv vuruth thINdal kUdumO?’ (and therefore) would I be able to touch you? Would I be able to remain seated on your back?’ But Kamban’s treatment is different because he moves away from Valmiki and depicts her abduction differently. We will see that presently.
-Even as she utters these words, she is quick to see another point. ‘I am telling him that I won’t touch any male other than Rama. He might think that I was brought here by Ravana.’ Before Hanuman could even think on that line, she tells him, ‘anisha kim karishyaami vinaatha vivasha sath’ (Ibid, Sloka 63). Notice the repetition of the word, vivasha. “That I was forced into contact with Ravana was because, being helpless, without protector and having lost control of myself, I could not do anything.”
+Even as she utters these words, she is quick to see another point. ‘I am telling him that I won’t touch any male other than Rama. He might think that I was brought here by Ravana.’ Before Hanuman could even think on that line, she tells him,&nbsp; ’அநீசா&nbsp;&nbsp; கிம் கரிஷ்யாமி&nbsp; விநாதா விவசா&nbsp; ஸதீ&nbsp; ’ (Ibid, Sloka 63). Notice the repetition of the word, vivasha. “That I was forced into contact with Ravana was because, being helpless, without protector and having lost control of myself, I could not do anything.”
-And once again, when Rama alleges her at the end of the war, moments before the fire ordeal, she tells him, ‘yadaham gaathra samsparsham gathasmi vivasha prabho’ (Ibid, Yuddha Kanda, Canto 116, Sloka 8). The same word vivasha occurs once again in her description of this moment. “I was helpless when I came into contact with the person of Ravana; I did not act of my own free will on that occasion. My adverse fate (alone) is to blame on that score, my lord.”
+And once again, when Rama alleges her at the end of the war, moments before the fire ordeal, she tells him, ‘&nbsp; யதஹம் காத்ர&nbsp; ஸம்ஸ்பர்சம்&nbsp; கதாஸ்மி&nbsp; விவசா&nbsp; ப்ரபோ ’ (Ibid, Yuddha Kanda, Canto 116, Sloka 8). The same word vivasha occurs once again in her description of this moment. “I was helpless when I came into contact with the person of Ravana; I did not act of my own free will on that occasion. My adverse fate (alone) is to blame on that score, my lord.”
 Of course, the discussion on this scene is for a later date. But the point is, she states consistently, whenever she recollects of this moment that she was, ‘helpless and semi-conscious.’ I was not under my control. Listen to her in the very next Sloka in the above scene. “That which is under my control, viz., my heart (ever) abides in you.” (Ibid, Sloka 9)
 We will now take up what Kamban has to say.
 = Ore and Ornament  =

@@ வரிசை 84: / வரிசை 84: @@
 That, once again, is a confirmation of what we have already seen, on what she really thought of Lakshmana and how he held him in her heart. (See: Here lies her heart) She wails to the river, birds, mountain, plants and trees, pleading with them to convey that she has been carried away. She asks them to mention to Rama the state in which she was carried off.
-<blockquote>
+<blockquote>“Nay I offer salutations to (all) those deities who dwell in this forest, full of various trees, and pray to them: ‘(Kindly) speak to my husband of my having been borne away. I seek the protection of all the animals of different species, the herds of deer and the flocks of birds, which actually dwell in this forest and pray: ‘Kindly tell my husband of his beloved spouse, more valuable (to him) than his very life being borne away and add the following: ‘ விவசா&nbsp; அபஹ்ருதா ஸீதா&nbsp; ராவணேந இதி&nbsp; சம்ஸத ’ Your Sita has been carried away by Ravana, helpless as she was.” (Ibid, Sloka 32 – 34) </blockquote>
-“Nay I offer salutations to (all) those deities who dwell in this forest, full of various trees, and pray to them: ‘(Kindly) speak to my husband of my having been borne away. I seek the protection of all the animals of different species, the herds of deer and the flocks of birds, which actually dwell in this forest and pray: ‘Kindly tell my husband of his beloved spouse, more valuable (to him) than his very life being borne away and add the following: ‘vivasha apahRitaa siitaa raavaNena iti shamsata’ Your Sita has been carried away by Ravana, helpless as she was.” (Ibid, Sloka 32 – 34)
 </blockquote>
 Tell him that she has been carried away by an ogre and lay stress on the point that she was helpless. She was not in control.

@@ வரிசை 75: / வரிசை 75: @@
 If expert opinion differs and ranges anywhere from getting hold of her by her shadow, to a purported but not supported theory of her illusory form, what has she to say about the moment?
-As Ravana caught hold of her, the sylvan deities fled from that spot, endowed as he was with sharp teeth and mighty arms and resembled Death himself – ‘mRityu sankaasham’ – and suddenly there appeared the Pushpaka Vimana, drawn by mules. Ravana, uttering harsh words, picked her up, placed her in the aerial car. ‘She was unwilling and wriggling like the consort of King Cobra,’ says Valmiki. ‘pannaga indra vadhuum iva viveSTamaanaam’ She was writhing, wriggling like the wife of the Lord of Serpents, obviously struggling and resisting from her being carried off. But her slender arms were no match to those mighty arms that shook Mount Kailash. Once again, let us confine her to her human role, without bringing her divine nature and confusing ourselves too much, for this is the way in which the Poet paints the picture. We are not, at least for the present, going into questions like ‘was she capable of handling the situation herself, and could she have stopped Ravana,’ et al. More over, speaking of strength, there are two different planes to be considered, namely, physical and mental. We will go into these questions one by one.
+As Ravana caught hold of her, the sylvan deities fled from that spot, endowed as he was with sharp teeth and mighty arms and resembled Death himself – ‘ ம்ருத்யு ஸங்காசம் ’ – and suddenly there appeared the Pushpaka Vimana, drawn by mules. Ravana, uttering harsh words, picked her up, placed her in the aerial car. ‘She was unwilling and wriggling like the consort of King Cobra,’ says Valmiki. ‘ பந்நக&nbsp; இந்த்ர&nbsp; வதூம் இவ&nbsp; விசேஷ்டமாநாம் ’ She was writhing, wriggling like the wife of the Lord of Serpents, obviously struggling and resisting from her being carried off. But her slender arms were no match to those mighty arms that shook Mount Kailas. Once again, let us confine her to her human role, without bringing her divine nature and confusing ourselves too much, for this is the way in which the Poet paints the picture. We are not, at least for the present, going into questions like ‘was she capable of handling the situation herself, and could she have stopped Ravana,’ et al. More over, speaking of strength, there are two different planes to be considered, namely, physical and mental. We will go into these questions one by one.
 Let us now restructure what happened at this moment once again. He caught her by the plait and carried her away when she was falling down, as indicated by the description that ‘he held her by the locks (nape of neck) and thighs’. She was semi-conscious at that moment. Of this, there can be no doubt because that is what she says not once, but thrice, on three different occasions.
-As the aerial car rose up into the skies, she wailed the name of Rama. The very next moment, she called the name of Lakshmana. ‘haa lakSmaNa mahaabaaho guru citta prasaadaka’. ‘O Lakshmana of mighty arms, the delighter of the mind of elders (or, the delighter of Rama’s mind) you do not perceive me being carried away by an ogre who is able to assume any form at will.’ (Ibid, Sloka 24)
+As the aerial car rose up into the skies, she wailed the name of Rama. The very next moment, she called the name of Lakshmana. ‘&nbsp; ஹா&nbsp; லக்ஷ்மண&nbsp; மஹாபாஹோ&nbsp; குரு சி்த்த&nbsp; ப்ரஸாதக ’, ‘O Lakshmana of mighty arms, the delighter of the mind of elders (or, the delighter of Rama’s mind) you do not perceive me being carried away by an ogre who is able to assume any form at will.’ (Ibid, Sloka 24)
 A rough elaboration of the Sloka would read as follows. ‘I am being carried away by this demon who assumes any form at will. I have seen that ability of his with my own eyes. He walked in the form of a Brahmin, old and withered, chanting the Vedas and now he walked out of our hermitage with the most terrifying of forms. What are you doing O mighty-armed Lakshmana, when he is carrying me away! Is it not your duty to protect me! Did you not see him carrying me away!’
 That, once again, is a confirmation of what we have already seen, on what she really thought of Lakshmana and how he held him in her heart. (See: Here lies her heart) She wails to the river, birds, mountain, plants and trees, pleading with them to convey that she has been carried away. She asks them to mention to Rama the state in which she was carried off.
+<blockquote>
 “Nay I offer salutations to (all) those deities who dwell in this forest, full of various trees, and pray to them: ‘(Kindly) speak to my husband of my having been borne away. I seek the protection of all the animals of different species, the herds of deer and the flocks of birds, which actually dwell in this forest and pray: ‘Kindly tell my husband of his beloved spouse, more valuable (to him) than his very life being borne away and add the following: ‘vivasha apahRitaa siitaa raavaNena iti shamsata’ Your Sita has been carried away by Ravana, helpless as she was.” (Ibid, Sloka 32 – 34)
+</blockquote>
 Tell him that she has been carried away by an ogre and lay stress on the point that she was helpless. She was not in control.
 This is what she would tell Hanuman and Rama himself, later.
 = This is what she has to say – Part II  =

@@ வரிசை 34: / வரிசை 34: @@
 Let us for a while forget that Maithili is none other than Mahalakshmi herself. The Lord and His Consort are playing their human roles now and let us look at them from that perspective, for that is how they want us to see them, and derive strength from the example that they have set for us, to face the much smaller and petty ‘mountains’ that nag us every moment. The most excruciating moments they have encountered and passed through, going through every moment exactly as how we would, but emerging gloriously from them and remaining unscathed, by strength of character, patience, tolerance, chivalry and all that goes to elevate an ordinary soul into a Mahatma. These are the moments that are to be held in the right perspective, if at all we intend to benefit from the study of the epic.
-<blockquote>vaamena siitaam padmaakSiim muurdhajeSu kareNa saH |<br>uurvoH tu dakSiNena eva parijagraaha paaNinaa&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; || </blockquote>
+<blockquote>வாமேந&nbsp; ஸீதாம்&nbsp; பத்மாக்ஷீம்&nbsp; மூர்தஜேஷு கரேண&nbsp; ஸ: |<br>ஊர்வோ:&nbsp; து&nbsp; தக்ஷிணேந&nbsp; ஏவ &nbsp; பரிஜக்ராஹ பாணிநா&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; || </blockquote><blockquote>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (ibid&nbsp; 49 / 17)</blockquote>
 says the Poet. As we saw in our last post, the English rendition of the Sloka would be: “With his left hand he caught hold of the lotus-eyed Sita by her locks, while with his right hand he clasped her by her thighs.”
 I have heard scholars, in a hushed voice, describing the impossible angles by which she would have been carried. Maheshvara Tiirtha says that Ravana, an expert in all sciences, caught her by the shadow of her hair and the shadow of her thighs. Rama Tilaka, who sees a devotee of Mahalakshmi in Ravana, feels that he caught her by her feet, as she was his personal deity. There is another theory that states that Sri Rama left a Maya Sita before he went after the golden deer. This Maya Sita was in the prison of Ravana until the end of the war and performed self-immolation and the real Sita emerged from the pyre. Far fetched theories! Valmiki did not intend that! The third theory, especially, the Maya Sita theory needs some more discussion and we will take it up presently.
-The description is very simple. We should remember that she was in a helpless condition, semi-conscious, or nearly unconscious, with the ogre catching her by her tresses. She is falling down on the ground; but is held by her locks. Ravana held her by the nape of neck, and lifted her off the ground while she was falling semi-conscious, with his hand underneath her legs. She was carried across the chest as babies are carried. The picture is quite simple. ‘I was helpless at that time,’ says Sita, of this moment. She uses the word ‘vivasha’ helpless, thrice, referring to this moment, on three different occasions.
+The description is very simple. We should remember that she was in a helpless condition, semi-conscious, or nearly unconscious, with the ogre catching her by her tresses. She is falling down on the ground; but is held by her locks. Ravana held her by the nape of neck, and lifted her off the ground while she was falling semi-conscious, with his hand underneath her legs. She was carried across the chest as babies are carried. The picture is quite simple. ‘I was helpless at that time,’ says Sita, of this moment. She uses the word ‘ விவசா ’ helpless, thrice, referring to this moment, on three different occasions.
 = Was he a devotee?  =