Another question re: Siitaa-Maata

[Guest guest]

Dear Susarla:

 

The story of Ramayanam as depicted by Sage Valmiki is the original and

authentic one. The events portrayed therein have stirred up the imagination of

poets and writers ever since and all over India and even abroad.

 

Each has given a twist here or a twist there, as it suited their imagination

and pet predilections. In fact, there was an actor-producer--in Tamilnadu, by

name Mr.R.S.Manohar who specialized and enacted dramas depicting even

villainous characters in our epics in glorious light based on one or the other

of these Ramayanas. The incident mentioned by you was the theme of one of his

dramas, I have seen years ago.

 

We have today at least 20 such popularly known Ramayanas like for example

Ananda Ramayanam, Adbutha Ramayanam, Agnivesya Ramayanam to mention a few and

not to leave out Rama Charita Manas of Tulsidas and Kamba Ramayanam. In the

last mentioned, Poet Kamban has depicted Rama as God because he was not

comfortable with the idea of considering Rama as a mere human as depicted by

Valmiki,

 

For various reasons, our Acharyas have held Valmiki Ramayanam as the only

authentic account of the epic. While we can read and enjoy the poetic

excellence and imagination of all the others, it is Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam

that is considered the correct version.

 

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

 

The recent discussion on the Raamaayana stirred up a memory of a story I

heard long ago. The story went like this: When Lord Vishnu incarnated as

Raama, Lakshmii went down to Earth as Vedavati to perform tapasya and

meditation on the Lord. While she was there, Raavana happened by and

attempted to disturb her meditation. For this, she cursed him (that She

would be the cause of his downfall) and then incarnated as Siitaa.

Apparently, She appeared as a baby in a lotus flower found by Raavana in

Lanka. Remembering the curse, Raavana gave the baby to Varuna, who then gave

her to Mother Earth, who presented her to Janaka when the latter was

performing his plough-sacrifice.

 

I was wondering, has anyone else heard this story, and is there a shaastric

basis for it? I'm pretty certain it is NOT in Vaalmiiki-Raamaayana, as I

have read through the Baala-khanda and seen no mention of this.

 

adiyen Krishna Susarla

[Guest guest]

----------

> Krishna Susarla <krishna

> bhakti

> Another question re: Siitaa-Maata

> Thursday, November 12, 1998 6:39 PM

>

> Dear devotees,

>

> The recent discussion on the Raamaayana stirred up a memory of a story I

> heard long ago. The story went like this: When Lord Vishnu incarnated as

> Raama, Lakshmii went down to Earth as Vedavati to perform tapasya and

> meditation on the Lord. While she was there, Raavana happened by and

> attempted to disturb her meditation. For this, she cursed him (that She

> would be the cause of his downfall) and then incarnated as Siitaa.

> Apparently, She appeared as a baby in a lotus flower found by Raavana in

> Lanka. Remembering the curse, Raavana gave the baby to Varuna, who then

gave

> her to Mother Earth, who presented her to Janaka when the latter was

> performing his plough-sacrifice.

>

 

This is an interesting coincidence. I was just watching bits and pieces of

the Telugu sampUrna rAmAyanam just prior to checking e-mail, and happened

to watch the depiction of the incident described above. I would concur

that this incident is not mentioned in Srimad Ramayanam.

 

While I do not know the source of this story, it is my understanding (based

on my own recollection of this popular tale, the movie only touches on the

incident) that this Vedavati is not identified with Lakshmi, but is

actually the Maya-Sita of our previous discussion. In fact, if I recall

the popular story surrounding the sthala purAnam of thirumalai correctly,

Naradar reminds Srinivasan and Lakshmi that Vedavati had become Maya-Sita

in order to fulfill the threat that she had made to Ravanan. He also

reminds Them that this Maya-Sita had asked Ramar to protect and marry her,

since she had truly felt the separation that the "Real" Sita Piratti would

have felt for Him. Sri Ramar tells her that as He was committed only to

one wife in this AvathAran, He would have to marry her in another one.

Hence, Vedavati was born as Padmavati and married Srinivasan.

 

Whether Vedavati is Lakshmi or Maya-Sita, since her character does not

appear within Valmiki's Ramayanam, as stated before, it would be very

difficult for traditional SriVaishnavas to accept her role in the story,

nor, I would imagine, within the context of shastra.

 

adiyEn,

 

Mohan