The Hindu Article - Repose faith in God

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Date:04/08/2003 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/04/stories/2003080400240900.htm

 

Miscellaneous - Religion

 

Repose faith in God

 

CHENNAI AUG.4 . Human life in the world cannot be joyful always and

there are occasions when a person is driven to despair to the extent

of thinking of ending his life. It is not as if only those who resort

to such an extreme step have problems in life. It is important to

remember that everyone born as a human being has his share of sorrows

and so some are able to handle them well while others become

depressed. So what is it that helps man to face life with mental

fortitude in trying situations? The Ramayana illustrates that it is

implicit faith in God's saving grace that helps a devotee through the

episode of Hanuman locating Sita in Lanka just when She had lost all

hopes of Her rescue.

 

Having searched for Sita all over Lanka and not finding Her

whereabouts Hanuman prayed to Rama and Sita with fervour that he must

be successful in the mission entrusted to him. And it was their

grace, which made him remember the words of the vulture Sampati that

Sita was kept in captivity in the Ashoka grove by Ravana. Elated he

entered the beautifully laid out garden and spotted Sita sitting

under a tree guarded by the Rakshasis. Positioning himself on a

branch of that tree he watched how Ravana threatened Her to yield to

his wishes and Her words of chastisement.

 

In his Harikatha, Kalyanapuram Sri R. Aravamudan said Hanuman who had

earlier thought how a noble and redoubtable warrior like Rama could

weep over separation from His wife, after seeing Sita's virtues

changed his opinion. He started wondering then how Rama was still

alive. Then for a moment he was overcome with depression thinking

that if such misery could beset the Divine Couple what would be the

fate of mere mortals. But he immediately remembered the task in hand

witnessing Sita's despondency, which had made Her attempt to strangle

Herself and then abandon it when propitious omens coursed through Her

body.

 

It was Sita's total devotion to Rama that brought Hanuman to Her

presence at the nick of time to instil hope in Her heart of Her

rescue soon. Intuiting that he should delay no further he started

reciting the story of Rama without arousing the suspicion of Her

guards. At first She doubted his identity thinking it was yet another

ruse adopted by Ravana but Hanuman soon convinced Her that he was

Rama's envoy. The Divine Mother who is the personification of

compassion blessed him because he had uttered Rama's name.

 

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