is she powerful 5 and concluded

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Post 5

 

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We are continuing our discussions whether seethaa is powerful or has

the capacity to burn or kill raavaNa on her own without waiting for

raamaa. One more instance or fact comes to mind to prove her power.

She controls the basic elements – the pancha boothams – using which

brahma did create all living and non-living ones. Though seethaa is

also born out of earth, she commands another pancha bootham, the

fire, to change his basic nature of heat and turning everything to

ashes. `Hey, leave out your basic character and be different as per

my directions - be cool to my person – hanumaan'.

 

Later the very same fire had to bring her back and hand over to raama

with a certificate of "she is a blemish-less character". The

title `ordeal by fire' of sri sadagopan iyengar of coimbatore,

perhaps, has to be changed here as `ordeal to fire', I think, for he

has to obey on one hand to raavaNa, another to seethaa, and then to

raama in providing that certificate duly attested by him.

 

When seethaa was informed about hanumaan's tail has been lit with

fire by tying lot of waste ropes and cloth, she approaches fire

saying, `hey agni, be cool to hanuman'. That also with lot of preset

conditions like "If I am -- ". See the slOkams

 

vaidhEhee sOkasanthapthaa huthaasanam upaagamath | 5 –53-26

meaning: seethaa, with a lot of sorrow, approached fire – [means

firegod].

 

upathasthE visaalaakshee prayathaa havyavaahanam |

yadhyasthi pathi susrooshaa yadhyasthi charitham thapa: |

yadhi vaa thvEka pathneethvam seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5- 53- 27

 

meaning: That broad eyed seethaa requested the holy fire by

saying, "if I have served my husband sincerely, I am true in my

character, if my husband is a Eka pthnee vratha – having one wife

only - and he has good intentions on me, then be cool to hanumaan.

 

yadhi kinchith anukRosasthasya mayyasthi dheematha: |

yadhi vaa bhaagya sEshO mE seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 – 53 -28

 

meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that highly intelligent raama is a

little compassionate on me and I have luck enough for unification

with him [luck enough for me to join my husband]

 

yadhi maam vruththa sampannaam thath samaagama laalasaam |

savijaanaathi dharmaathmaa seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 –53 - 29

 

meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that raama thinks me as full of good

nature or character, and as one always seeking union with my husband.

 

yadhi maama thaarayEdhaarya: sugreeva: sathyasangara: |

asmaadh dhu:khaambusamrODhaath seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 – 53 -30

 

meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that king sugreevan is truthful to

his words of releasing me from this ocean of sorrow of separation

from my husband.

 

Point: 1. Seethaa threw so many `if and buts' to that fire god.

Perhaps he would have simply obeyed even if it were only one point.

He could not think of any evasion since there were so many

interlinked ones.

 

2. Further one argument can be advanced by some one who knows about

raaVanan's capacities better – hey, this agni, vaayu, and rain, et

al obey orders of raavaNa also and they serve him with equal or more

obedience. Then how can you say seethaa is powerful to bring fire

into obedience? Agreed, accepted. But there is one basic difference.

 

RaavaNa is able to command these pancha boothams to be `obedient'

only – hey vaayu – be slow, be cool etc. That is all vaayu's nature –

sometimes to be hot, sometimes cool, sometimes fierce, some times

very comfortable and soothing. Fire to burn slowly or fast as per

command. Rain to be intermittent giving comfort and not causing a

nuisance etc. But these pancha boothaas, basic elements, did not

change their basic characteristics in their subservience to raavaNan.

Rain did not become hot water or fire did not become cool.

 

But seethaa commands – upaagamath says vaalmeeki – meaning -

approached – is it a pleading for a concession – NO – an order to

change the very basic characteristic. Fire's nature is hot and

burning things to turn them as ash – but here the request is - be

cool - and he also did it obediently. So there is a lot of difference

even in that obedience. Means his very natural characteristics

changed at the behest of a more powerful personality than raavaNa –

seethaa.

 

When she can command one of the pancha boothams viz. fire, to change

his basic nature of burning everything or being unbearably hot and to

be cool to one particular person, which he also obeys without

hesitation, that itself shows who she is, and what power she has

to `control' even the basic elements by changing their nature to

something different. Then, will it be difficult for her to eliminate

raavaNa on her own without waiting for raamaa?

 

Let us see one more point from Sree vachaNa bhooshaNam – 80 -

upaayathukku piraattyum –dhroupadhiyaiyum –thiruk kaNNa mangai

aaNdaanaiyum pOlE irukka vENum.

Meaning: For upaayam one should be like piraatti – dhroupadi – thriuk

kaNNa mangai aaNdaan.

 

piraattikkum dhroupadhikkum vaasee sakthiyum asakthiyum -81.

Meaning: The main difference between piraatti and dhroupadhi is

their 'powers and helplessness'- `sakthiyum / asakthiyum'.

 

piraatti swa - sakthiyai vittaaL, dhroupadhi lajjaiyai vittaaL - 82

 

meaning: 'piraatti shed all Her powers, sakthi; while dhroupadhi shed

all her shyness. Sri seethaa piraatti shed all her powers and waited

for her lord sree raamaa. Thus though one may have powers oneself, it

is the nature of jeevaathmaa to wait for the almighty to take action.

 

The vyaakyanam by Sri MaNavaaLa maamunikaL clearly explains the

following.

'thathasya sathrusam bhavEth' enRirundha piraatti - She waited for

Sri raamaa to demolish the enemies. What were Her powers? 'seethO

bhava' i.e She had the powers to make fire like water and

also 'thakdhO bhava' to reduce the enemies into ashes.

 

However, she did not use Her powers which is explained 'piraatti sva

sakthiyai vittaaL'. This is illustrated from the inaction of seethaa

piraatti. Piraatti was all-powerful. However, she preferred to be

docile. Further, She is powerful on 2 counts.

1. She is an elevated soul - dheiva aNangu.

2. She is chastity personified – kaRpukku arasi

Both the aforementioned factors make her powerful. Despite this she

did not invoke her powers, as is the wont of jeevaathmaa.

Thanks to sri vaanamaamalai padmanabhan swamy for the points from

sree vachana bhooshaNam.

 

Dear bhakthaas, by now, I think, the other two questions "is she also

afraid to face Ravana? What are the reasons why she could not save

herself and reach her Lord feet Shri Ramachandra?" are also answered,

in that "thruNam" comments, and as above. As such I conclude this

topic "is she capable or is she powerful" on the krishNa jayanthi

day. Thanks for your patience and all comments / points against and

for are welcome.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g