maya sita:last word

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaktas,

 

I recommended we end the "mAyA-sItA" discussion yesterday.

Immediately after reading this, Sri A. Bharat, a learned

correspondent from Bangalore, sent me this note proffering

the opinion of Sri Vaishnava acharyas on this subject.

 

Let this be the final email on this topic, as it neatly

summarizes the thoughts of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.

 

Thanking you for your patience,

Mani

 

----- Forwarded message from "A. Bharat" <kbharat -----

 

Sat, 05 Dec 1998 15:40:43

mani

"A. Bharat" <kbharat

maya sita:last word

 

Dear Mani

 

I have been following the various comments on this subject.

I was expecting to find one of the BhAgavatOttamAs coming

out with the cardinal passage from RAmAyana which provides

the key to the situation,and hence did not intervene.But as I

find you closing the discussion without my having seen this

(though it is quite possible I might have missed it)I feel

like adding a few lines.If you want to you may put it on

the net.

 

Brahma gave VAlmIki alone the special power to view "SItAyA-

s-charitam mahat" exactly as it occurred,and hence his account

takes precedence over all other versions where variations

might have been included based on the author's predilections.

Whether it was the real SItA or the mAyA SItA who was

carried by RAvana is clearly indicated by the sage:

 

In one of the great passages in SundarakAndam (sarga 37)

when on seeing PirAtti's grief Siriya Tiruvadi Hanuman is

moved to offer to carry her on his back and return her safely

to Chakravarthi Tirumagan,she says among other things:

"Na sprusAmi sarIram tu pumso vAnarapungava

yadaham gAtra-sam-sparsam RAvanasya balAd-gata

AnIsA kim karishyAmi.."

 

"I will not bear the touch of any other man;RAvana touched

and carried me by force,what could I do? as I could not

help myself."

 

And as regards Mr Gerald's point re her behaviour towards

Lakshmana,the explanation is as follows:

The Divya Dampatis took this avatAra with the main intention

of actually acting out the life of an ideal human couple who

follow all the 'mAnusha dharmas' prescribed.And one of the

cardinal tenets governing a human being is avoidance of

BhAgavat-ApachAra; so Piratti actually demonstrates how

immediate and of what dimensions the consequences are

and how even the Lord Himself is unable on his own to

remedy it.He can only do it through the well-wishes

and assistance of other BhAgavatas as in this case

HanumAn,SugrIva,VibhIshana etc.

BHARAT

 

 

 

----- End forwarded message -----