Musings on Sita's agni-pravEsam#11

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Dear Members who are following this thread,

 

Before we proceed with examining what we said were the Vedic undertones of

the "agni-pravEsam" episode, we observed in Post#10 that it is essential

first

we take a careful look again at the scenes leading to Sita's epic ordeal.

 

In post#8 we saw Sri.Rama exploding into bitter fury the like of which we

do not see Him exhibiting anywhere else in the Ramayana.

 

"prAptachAritra-sandEhA mama pratimUKhE stiThA I

depO nEtrAturasyEva pratikoolAsI may driDam I"

 

........ He says.

 

"I can't stand the sight of you, Sita .... you are revolting to me....my

eyes flinch from you as if they were diseased and can't bear the glare of

light."

 

When you reflect deeply about these words, you cannot help but term them as

a symptoms of a typically Freudian slip..... why?.... We'll discuss it

later while analysing the Vedic undertones of this episode...

 

For the present, when we read it, we become aware that Rama's bitter

statement is extremely intriguing. His malevolent words sound very unreal,

very incredible when you compare and contrast them with what He says, in

the 'sundara-kAnda', to AnjaneyA, when the latter hands over Sita's

"choodAmani" (crest-jewel) as proof of successfully completing his

reconnaisance of Lanka.

 

Rama receives it, fondles the jewel in His hands and ....after a long

moment of pensive and painful recollection...the Lord bursts into tears.

And then follows a most extraordinary outburst best described in

Sri.Valmiki's own words:

 

"kimAha sItA vaidEhi brUhi sowmya puna-ha puna-ha I

pitAsumiva tOyEna singh~chanti vAkya-vAriNA II" (Valmiki V.66.8)

 

"Tell me now.... once, twice, trice ....and then again ("puna-ha puna-ha")

and again ...What were Her words?!! Tell me AnjanEya, now, tell me what

were Her words.... for it is those words that will revive me ....".

 

It is extremely significant to note here Sri.Rama's reaction. Dear members,

please DO NOT fail to discern that Sri.Rama here does not ask of

Hanuman,"Tell me how is she? Is she well? Is she unhurt?".... which would

have been the perfectly natural thing to do under the circumstances.

 

Instead He wants to hear what she had to SAY! Rama wants to know first what

Sita "uttered"... what Her first words were.... "vAkya-vAriNa"!

 

Rama then continues:

 

"chiram jeevati vaidEhi yadi mAsam Dharishyathi I

na jeevEyam kshaNamapi vinA tAmasi-tEkshaNAm II

 

kimAha sItA hanumam-statvata-ha kaThamAdhya may I

EthEna Kalu jIvishyE bhEsha-jEnAturO yaThA II

 

maDhurA maDhurAlApA kimAha mama BhAminI I

madviheenA varArOhA hanumann kaThayasva may II " (V.66.10,14-15)

 

"Tell me what were Her words?... Tell me exactly ... what those words of

Hers were! For, I tell you, O HanumAn, it is those words which, like rain

drops on parched earth, will bring me back to life.... I beseech thee,

tarry not... Tell me what did She say? Do not keep anything back! Like a

desperately sick man depending on the medicines of the physician I grapple

now for my very life that depends on the words she spoke to you .... those

sweet words ("maDhurA maDhurAlApA kimAha mama BhAminI") the sweet words of

Hers that you now bring me!"

 

It is hard to believe... is it not dear members?... that the anguished,

agonized being who uttered the tortured words above in the "sundara-kAndam"

should be the same one in the "yuddha-kAndam" to turn to His spouse and

spurn Her with words bitterer than the raging, icy winds of an arctic

winter:

 

""prAptachAritra-sandEhA mama pratimUKhE stiThA I

depO nEtrAturasyEva pratikoolAsI may driDam I"

 

("I can't stand the sight of you, Sita .... you are revolting to me....my

eyes flinch from you as if they were diseased and can't bear the glare of

light.").

 

How is it... we are now forced to ask ourselves here... how is it that the

same person who, in one breath, said that the "sweet sound of the words of

His spouse" are to His dying spirit "like rain-drops falling on parched

earth" ..... how could the same person, when face-to-face with the spouse,

recoil with revulsion from Her saying that His eyes refuse to countenance

Her, just as "diseased eyes" flinch reflexively from the glare of dazzling

light ?!!!

 

It is a good question! A real stumper, indeed!! A question, were it to be

posed in a formal examination on the subject of the Ramayana, would

certainly leave many of us scratching our heads and nibbling the ends of

our pens in doubt.......

 

So how do we answer it ?

 

*************** *************** *****************

 

The clue to the answer lies in 2 specific expressions in the two Valmiki

"shlOkA-s" above; they are both pregnant with deep meaning.... and they are

both essentially Vedic in nature!

 

The first clue is "nEtrAturasyEva....." (sight) and the other is,

"vAkya-vAriNa...." (words or utterances).

 

The Vedic undertone of the first clue is "pratyaksham" .... or, that which

is apprehended by plain, naked sight.

 

And for the second one, it is "veda-vAkya"..... the word of the VedA-s.....

 

In the next post let's explore what these Vedic clues are and where they

will lead us.

 

adiyEn dAsAnu-dAsan,

sudarshan