Ramayanam : (18/07/2013 )

"DEAR, dear Vanara friend," said Sita, I do not know whether to rejoice or grieve at the news you have brought. Your words are like nectar mixed with poison. My lord's love for me is sweetest nectar, and his grief over my plight is bitterest poison." Thus Sita spoke what she felt and found comfort in putting in words her love and her grief. Pleasure and pain, happiness and misery alternately impel human beings. Sita was consoled but also pained by the thought that Rama had not forgotten her, but was thinking of her, grieving and searching for her. "We are puppets manipulated by the twin strings of joy and sorrow", said Sita. None of us can escape their pull. My lord and Lakshmana and myself are all subject to this law. You say my lord suffers like a sailing ship caught in a storm on the high seas. O! When will he come here? Dear Vanara friend, when will he destroy Lanka and Ravana and the other Rakshasas? All this must take...

HIDDEN by the branches, Hanuman sang in a sweet and gentle voice the story of Rama so that it fell on Sita's ears: "King Dasaratha ruled his kingdom well. His army was mighty and comprised of chariots, elephants and horses. He was virtuous and a doer of great deeds. He kept his word and was foremost among the famous kings of the world. He was equal to the rishis in virtue and to Indra in statesmanship. He hated no one and harmed no one. All his endeavors were crowned with success. Therefore men called him Satya-parakrama, truly valiant. The richest of the Ikshavaku race, a king of kings, the ruler of the world, he enjoyed and communicated happiness. The eldest of his four sons was Ramachandra, whose face was like the full moon. Wise, virtuous and a master of the bow, Rama was beloved of all. And he was full of kindness for all the people in the kingdom, a warrior wedded to dharma. He was the heir to the throne. And yet, to preserve the honor of ...

THE boldest and most strong-minded woman may, if kept in captivity for a long period, lose heart and become depressed. Sita hoped month after month that her lord would discover her whereabouts and come to her rescue. Sick with disappointed hope, alone in the midst of enemies, she clung to life only from an abiding faith in the love of Rama that made her feel that he would surely come. The Rakshasis plied her with what from their point of view was well-meant counsel. "Won't you listen to our advice? You are a human and so lack sense. You still hold on to this wretched man-husband of yours. Your proper place is our King's bedchamber. That is the place for every kind of pleasure. But spurning his offer, you are forever thinking of your worthless husband. Why are you still fond of this luckless wretch driven out of his kingdom? You will never see him again. Yield to Ravana and be happy." Sita, hearing these words, could only shed tears. ...

TO SITA, plunged in a sea of sorrow and clinging to dharma and to the thought of her lord, Ravana spoke these words: "O beautiful one! Why do you shrink from me? Do you not see how much I care for you? Though it is lawful for a Rakshasa to take another's wife and possess her by force, I am a beggar for your love. There is no need to fear me. I shall never touch you till your heart turns towards me. Do not be afraid. My one wish is that you should care for me as I do for you. You must accept me with affection. Why do you make your body a prey to unavailing sorrow? O beautiful one! There is none like you in loveliness, none in all the world. It is not right for you to reject beautiful jewels, and clothes, to sleep on the ground and leave your hair unkempt. O gem among women, do not thus waste your youth and beauty. Now you have come under my protection, you should lack nothing. All pleasures are suitors for your selection. I cannot take my eyes...

As HANUMAN stood on the high wall, he did not know why, a thrill of joy passed through his frame. It was the invisible atmosphere which envelopes an accomplished mission and influences subtly the devoted heart. As be had at last reached the spot where Sita was, his whole being throbbed with exulting expectation without any apparent reason. It was an early spring night. Trees and plants were in flowers. Hanuman jumped to a place where there was a thick cluster of trees. This disturbed the birds that rested there and they flew out with sweet noises. Deer and other animals moved about. Flowers dropped from the branches and covered the body of Hanuman. The creatures in the park, looking at the lovely figure of Hanuman covered all over with flowers, thought that the God of spring was visiting the grove in the early dawn. The garden was entrancingly beautiful. Lovely tanks, terraces decorated with gold, silver, ivory, pearl and coral crystal steps, art...

FULL of hope, Hanuman alighted and set foot in Lanka. But soon the flush of triumph at the accomplishment of the journey gave place to sober thinking. "True I have crossed the sea, but that is only the beginning of my mission. There, on mount Trikuta, stands Ravana's magnificent city, as if suspended in the sky. How beautiful, how wealthy, how well secured it is! The city and the fortress are not inferior to Amaravati or Bhagavati. The lovely groves, the elegant buildings, the engines of defence, deep moats, these fill me with much admiration but also with greater concern. Who can attack and vanquish this Ravana? How can an army cross the sea that I have just crossed? Even if it crosses the sea and reaches this shore, how can it attack and bring down this fortress defended by bulwarks manned by well-armed warriors! Neither guile nor force can bring it down. But first I must find out whether Sita is alive or not. Other questions can wait. When...

FROM Sampati the Vanaras learnt the place where Sita was kept a prisoner in the land of the Rakshasa, a hundred yojanas across the ocean. But of course it would not do to return to Sugriva at once with this second-hand information. They had outstayed the allotted time and only outstanding success could save them from punishment. They could not stop their search till they saw with their own eyes what Sampati had described only then could they fulfil Rama's purpose. But then they had to cross the sea. They went to the edge of the water and discussed matters. "How can we cross the sea, enter Lanka, see Sita and return?" Anxiety and fear overwhelmed them. Angada said: "No matter how hard the task, one should never lose courage. Courage is the key to success. To lose heart is to lose everything." Then he asked each one of his followers to state truly the maximum length that he could jump. "Oh Vanara warriors!" he said, ...