52. SITA COMFORTED :

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 his father, he left the
kingdom with his wife Sita and his brother
Lakshmana and lived in the forest. There
he vanquished the Rakshasas and
protected the rishis. He destroyed Khara
and Dushana and their mighty army.


Coming to hear of this, Ravana, bent on
revenge, induced a Rakshasa to assume
the form of a deer and beguile the princes
in pursuit and, in their absence, carried off
Sita by force. Grief-struck Rama went in
search of Sita. He met Sugriva, the
Vanara, and made friends with him. Rama
slew Vali, the Vanara king, and secured to
his brother Sugriva the Vanara kingdom.


And Sugriva sent his Vanara warriors to
all the quarters of the globe to find out
where Sita was. These Vanara warriors,
who could assume what shape they would,
searched the whole world for the missing
Sita. Following a clue given by Sampati, I
crossed the sea a hundred yojanas broad,
and have come here. And now I see one
whose form, complexion and qualities are
those described to me by Rama as his
royal spouse's."


Having said this, Hanuman paused.
These sweet words, uttered by some
one from somewhere, filled Sita with
wonder and delight. She looked around in
all directions to discover who conveyed
such sweet matter in so sweet a voice and
in such exquisite language.


She looked round, and up and down
but found no human form to match this
perfect speech. She only saw a lovely
little monkey seated on the branch above
her. Sita saw the son of Vayu, the wise
minister of the Vanara king, in the form of
a little monkey, radiant like the rising sun.
The reader should imagine for himself
the joy of Rama's messenger, as Sita's
eyes fell on him. The reader who
experiences this joy will find God in his
heart. Narayana, who is waiting eagerly to
enter and take possession of our hearts,
would leave the great and boundless
ocean of milk and come to dwell within
us, when we cleanse ourselves of sinful
thoughts.


Seeing Hanuman, Sita said to herself:
"The words I heard the form I see, they
cannot be real. I am only dreaming. One
sees in one's dream what one is constantly
brooding over. How often has my mind
dwelt on the story of my Lord! Is it any
wonder then that I seem to hear the tale as
told by some one? It is not real. It is only
a dream. They say that if one sees a
monkey in a dream, it forebodes evil to
one's kinsfolk. May God protect Rama
from harm! May God keep all harm away
from Lakshmana! May God bless all my
kinsfolk in Mithila! No, no, this is no
dream. My eyes are open and I see the
same form still seated above me. There it
is, clear and solid. No, this is no dream.


And I am not asleep. How can one dream
without sleeping? This is no dream. All
this is real. Oh Gods! Could this indeed be
a messenger from my dear Lord? Oh grant
that it be so! Oh Vachaspati! Master of
speech, I salute you. Oh Agni! I salute
you. Oh Swayambhu! I salute you. Oh
Gods! Protect me. May this be Rama's
messenger!"


Hanuman, radiant with the joy of
seeing Sita, descended to the ground and
stood before her, palms joined and head
bent in salutation.


And he said in a deep soothing voice:
"Mother, tears are falling from your eyes
like drops from lotus petals. May I know
who you are, who stands there, leaning on
the tree trunk, face clouded with sorrow
and eyes wet with tears? Are you a
goddess or a Naga maiden? The radiance
of your body makes me question whether
you could be of merely terrestrial birth!
Are you Rohini separated for a while from
the Moon-god? Or are you Arundhati
parted from sage Vasishtha? No, on closer
observation, you seem to be a human
woman, maybe a princess adorable in
your distress. Please tell me who indeed
you are. May God bless you! Are you the
princess Sita carried off by Ravana from
Janasthana? Is mine the bliss of seeing
Sita, the beloved of Rama?"


Sita was beside herself with joy. "My
child," she said, "indeed I am Sita,
daughter of the king of Videha and Sri
Ramachandra's spouse. For twelve years I
enjoyed all happiness with him in
Ayodhya. In the thirteenth year, King
Dasaratha made preparations to crown my
husband. Then Kaikeyi, his youngest
wife, reminded him of boons he had
granted long ago, and demanded that in
redemption of his word he should crown
her son Bharata king, and exile Rama to
the forest. She threatened to kill herself if
this was not done. Bound by promise the
king had to yield to her insistence. At his
bidding Rama relinquished the crown and
betook himself to the forest not only
without regret, but happy that it was given
to him to enable his father to keep his
plighted word. I refused to be left behind
and insisted on going with my lord into
the forest. Even before me, Lakshmana
had put on bark-garments, determined to
accompany his brother to the forest and
serve him. The three of us entered the
forest and were living in Dandaka. One
day the evil-hearted Ravana carried me
off by force. And he has kept me a
prisoner here in this Asoka garden. Of the
time limit of twelve months he has set for
me, only two more months remain. When
they are over I shall end my life."
Thus spoke the helpless princess in her
sorrow.


The speeches of Hanuman and of
Janaki are sung by Valmiki in two brief
chapters. As Hari appeared before the
emperor Bali in the form of Vamana and
measured the universe in two steps, so
Valmiki has given the tale of Rama in a
short recital by Hanuman and another by
Sita. What greater joy can we have than
reading Hanuman and Sita telling the
divine story themselves? As Vamana got
the better of Bali and saved him from his
ahankara, may this tale of Rama as told by
Hanuman and Sita rid us of the sense of 'I'
and 'my'.


Sita concluded her story with the
statement that two more months remained
of the allotted twelve-month term and that
her life would then end. To Sita
overwhelmed by grief, Hanuman spoke
words of comfort.


"O princess of Videha! Rama, the
noblest of men and the mightiest of
warriors has sent me to you with good
news. His beloved brother Lakshmana,
ever anxious for your welfare, sends
through me his salutations to you."
"Ah! What happiness is mine!" she
exclaimed. "I now see the truth of the
common saying that so long as life lasts
there is hope."


Thus between these two utter strangers
a profound confidence and affection
sprang up like the sudden blossoming of
the Parijata in Indra's garden. Yet when, in
his joyful eagerness to console and
encourage Sita, Hanuman took a nearer
step towards her, Sita lost the confidence
inspired by his words and again grew
suspicious.


She shut her eyes and moved away
further from the tree. Hanuman, noticing
this, withdrew respectfully and stood with
hands clasped in obeisance.


"I have been deceived," she cried.
"You are no other than Ravana. Once you
came disguised as an ascetic and imposed
on me. Now you have come again in
another disguise and speak sweet words.
All this will bring you no good. Why do
you torture me, O Ravana? I am weary
and full of sorrow. You call yourself a
warrior. Is it a warrior's part to persecute a
helpless woman?"


Then she opened her eyes and thought
again, "No, no. This cannot be Ravana.
Trust and friendship spring in my heart at
the sight of him. He can be no enemy of
mine. It is wrong to suspect him."


She addressed him saying: "O Vanara!
Are you indeed a messenger sent by
Rama? May God bless you. Tell me more
concerning Rama. Let my ears hear and
my heart rejoice."


Then once again doubts assailed her.
"Am I a victim of delusion, imagining
good news? Is this a dream that mocks me
with the illusion of joy to make my
despair blacker when I am awake? Am I
in my right senses? Of course, I am. My
thoughts, my words are all normal. I am
sane and sensible. But then he says that he
crossed the sea a hundred yojannas broad.
No, no. This cannot be true. He is Ravana
and none else." So she concluded in her
mind and without lifting her eyes to look
at Hanuman sat apart in silence.


Hanuman understood her doubts and
fears. They were natural in one who had
been deceived by the Rakshasa. He
thought for a while and realised that the
only approach to her confidence was to
awaken hope and joy in her sorely tired
heart by extolling Rama and harping on
the certainty of her rescue and his victory.
And he began: "Rama has sent me.


Rama is radiant like the Sun. Rama is
pleasant to look at like the moon. Rama is
praised by all the rulers of the earth. Rama
is valiant like Vishnu. Rama is wise like
Brihaspati. Rama is handsome like
Manmatha the god of love. Rama's words
are ever sweet and true. Rama's
indignation is ever righteous and well
directed. Rama is the peerless warrior.


Rama has sent me. While a Rakshasa in
the shape of a deer beguiled Rama and
drew him away in the forest, you were left
alone and Ravana carried you off by
force. Soon he will pay dearly for this evil
deed. You will see it with your own eyes.


Soon the shafts of Rama and Lakshmana
will strike Lanka and destroy it along with
Ravana and all his race. At Rama's
bidding have I come to you to learn about
your safety which is his constant concern.
On Lakshmana's behalf I place at your
feet his respectful salutations. And so too
homage from Sugriva, the Vanara king.
Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva are ever
thinking of you. It is my good fortune to
have seen you alive. Now there will be no
more of loss of time. Soon Rama,
Lakshmana and Sugriva, accompanied by
the whole Vanara army, will descend on
Lanka. I am Sugriva's minister. My name
is Hanuman. I crossed the sea and reached
Lanka. You may take it that my foot is
already on the head of the evil-minded
Ravana. By Rama's grace, even more than
by my own prowess have I, his servant,
crossed the sea to behold you. Do not
suspect me. Have faith in my words,
mother." So said Hanuman with tears in
his eyes. These sweet words of Hanuman
acting on her great love for Rama and
confidence in him, put an end to Sita's
fears and gave her courage and faith.


"Forgive my suspicion, O Vanara
friend," she said. "Deceived by the
Rakshasa and surrounded by his artifices,
I am prone to needless fear. O friend and
messenger of Rama! How did you first
meet Rama? How did the Prince make
friends with the Vanaras? Tell me all".


To confirm her faith, Hanuman
recounted once again the virtues and
attractive qualities of Rama and
Lakshmana. He said: "What wonder is
there in Rama becoming friends with me
and my king and the Vanaras when the
whole world lives and finds bliss by his
loving kindness?"


He proceeded to describe fully how the
quarrel arose between Vali and Sugriva,
how the latter first met Rama and
Lakshmana, how they became friends,
how Rama promised to slay Vali and
secure the Vanara kingdom for Sugriva,
how the Vanaras had picked up and
preserved the jewels dropped by Sita, how
with mounting sorrow Rama recognised
them, how Vali was slain and Sugriva
crowned, how after the rainy sea son was
over the Vanara hosts searched the whole
world for Sita, how the party led by
Angada and proceeding south having
failed to find her, decided to fast to death,
how they met Sampati and received a clue
from him, how he, Hanuman, crossed the
sea and searched the inner apartments of
Ravana, all this he recounted.


At the end of the narration he placed in
her hand Rama's signet ring that he had
brought. Sita received the ring and pressed
it to her eyes with joy. Now all fear of
Ravana's deceit and Rakshasa magic was
over. She had complete faith in Hanuman
and infinite affection for him.


" My child!" she said, "how foolish
was my error! How could I suspect one
like you?"


The son of Vayu explained to her who
he was and who his father was and what
his own might was.


"Though I, who enjoy the grace of my
father Vayu, should not sing my own
praises, I do so now to end your sorrow.
Soon the Vanara warriors will be here to
destroy the Rakshasas and their kingdom.
I must first return and tell them where you
are."


And then he described Rama's
desolation in being parted from Sita, and
the ascetic life he led, and Sita's heart
melted in loving sorrow. Sita forgot her
own suffering thinking of Rama's grief.


Next  :  53. SITA AND HANUMAN :

Continues...