seetha and cosmetics

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Many a times we hear jokes and comments on how ladies spend huge sums

on cosmetics. The usage of these cosmetics, whether really make these

ladies `look beautiful' is another question and that is to be

answered by the readers. Perhaps my age applies a veil of reticence

on me to answer that directly.

 

Whether they look beautiful or not, they make the husbands look ugly

in front of others. For, when these [monetarily poor] husbands put

some sort of resistance for purchase of these costly cosmetics, when

the ladies are on the shopping spree, then the husbands reall look

ugly. [i know the resistance is rare. `Do they really have the guts

to do that?' will be the next question coming up]. Ok, anyhow, that

is a fact and a facet of life.

 

Dear readers, it is not out of hearsay but from personal experience

also. Perhaps you may ask `what is that made you to do this kind

of `pulambal' in the list? That is because while reading sreemadh

raamaayaNam, I got the following, which assured an unending supply of

cosmetics, that too as a gift.

 

Again, that too from the most unexpected person, to a well known

person in raamaayaNam.  This reveals one very clear point - viz.

ladies, irrespective of the age [not the age of person - vayas in

tamil - but yugam or kaalam - thrEthaa yugam – silver kaalam,

dhvaapara yugam – copper kaalam or kali yugam – irumbu kaalam] use

the cosmetics and get made up to cover up the deficiencies on the

beauty and appearance [to make up these add a make up to face etc?].

The known person in sreemadh raamaayaNam is the `heroine' - seethaa.

[please do not raise a question  what deficiency you find in seethaa,

so that she also needs to make up. The make up to seethaa is to

enhance her beauty - `value addition' as they say in modern

management – here it is `beauty addition']

 

The unexpected person is anasooya, wife of sage athri [described by

vaalmeeki as having a body which is shaking life a banana tree in a

strong wind - vEgamaana kaaRRil vaazhai maram aaduvadhaip pola aadum

udambu uLLa anasooya].

 

sithilaam valithaam vrudhDhaam jaraa paaNDura moordhajaam |

sathatham vEpamaana angeem pravaathE kadhalee yathaa || 2-117-17

 

thaam thu seethaa mahaa bhaagaam anasooyaam pathi vrathaam |

abhyavaadhayadh avyagraa svam naama samudhaaharath || 2-117-18

 

meaning: Seethaa coolly and reverently paid homage to that fortunate

Anasuya, a devoted and virtuous wife, who was feeble, wrinkled, aged,

with her hair turned grey due to old age, and whose frame constantly

shook like a banana tree in a storm. Seethaa introduced herself, by

announcing her name to Anasuya.

 

Anasooya, the very elderly woman, advises seethaa on the duties of a

wife to her husband. After seethaa received all that advice, anasooya

prompts seethaa to ask a boon which anasooya is ready to give.

Seethaa simply does not ask any thing but says `everything is

fulfilled by your grace'. But see what this old lady offers seethaa. 

 

saa thu Evam ukthaa dharmajnaa thayaa preethatharaa abhavath |

saphalam cha praharsham thE hantha seethE karomi aham || 2-118-17

meaning: Thus spoken by Seetha, the pious-minded Anasuya became more

delighted and said: "O, Seetha! Alas! I will create a great joy for

you, which will be to your advantage."

 

idham dhivyam varam maalyam vasthram aabharaNaani cha |

anga raagam cha vaidhEhee mahaa arham anulEpanam || 2-118-18

 

mayaa dhaththam idham seethE thava gaathraaNi sObhayEth |

anuroopam asamklishTam nithyam Eva bhavishyathi || 2-118-19

 

seethE = O, Seetha;

vaidhEhee = the daughter of Videha kingdom!;

idham dhivyam varam = here are divine gifts;

maalyam = a garland;

vasthram = apparel;

aabharaNaani cha = jewels;

anga raagam cha = scented cosmetic;

mahaa arham anulepanam cha = and a rare cream;

idham = these are all

mayaa dhaththam = given by me;

sobhayEth = to adorn;

thava gaathraaNi = your limbs;

nithyam Eva = It will be ever;

anuroopam = worthy of you;

asamklishTam bhavishyathi = and will remain in tact (even after

constant use).

 

Meaning: O, Seethaa, the daughter of vidhEha kingdom! Here are the

divine gifts:

§      a garland,

§      apparel,

§      jewels,

§      a scented cosmetic and

§      rare body-cream.

These are all given by me to adorn your limbs. They will be ever

worthy of your and will remain in tact (even after constant use)."

 

[points by MGV:

1.      may be these are jewels seethaa drops when raavaNa abducts

her and later sugreeva and team finds them.

 

2.      anasooya gives a container which provides unending supply of

cosmetics.

3.      After meeting sage athri, raama and seethaa live together for

a long period – may be about 11 or 12 years – considering say half to

one year to reach athri's place after being asked to leave for the

forest, and later going to chithrakootam. This is almost the last

sargam in ayodhya kaaNdam and after meeting agasthya and before

soorpanaka enters the story, the long period of living in forest

takes place. That is why I add that as about 11 to 12 years. So

the `unending cosmetics supply' to seethaa, by anasooya, served its

purpose.

 

4.      Can any manufacturer of present day think of such a supply -

leave alone the price part, perhaps, which initially itself will cost

a fortune? Perhaps his business interests will simply be jeopardized,

in spite of, all sorts of advertisements on his part to buy the

cosmetics].

 

anga raagENa dhivyEna liptha angee janaka aathmajE |

sobhayishyasi bharthaaram yathaa sreer vishNum avyayam || 2-118-20

 

janaka aathmajE = O, Seethaa!

lipthaangee = your body, anointed;

dhivyEna= with this celestial;

anga raagENa = cosmetic;

sobhayishyasi bharthaaram = will cause your husband to look

beautiful;

yathaa = as;

sree: = Lakshmi (the goddess of fortune and beauty); (does);

avyayam = the imperishable;

vishNum= Vishnu (the lord of preservation).

 

Meaning: O, Seetha! Your body, anointed with these heavenly

cosmetics, will cause your husband to look beautiful, as Lakshmi (the

goddess of fortune and beauty) does the imperishable Vishnu (the Lord

of preservation)."

 

MGV says: -- ahaa, please note the important point here -- The

cosmetics supply is not without a purpose - as per anasooyaa's

statement here.  The ladies apply these cosmetics on their body with

a very specific purpose - that is to make the husbands look

beautiful.

 

[is it when they stand by the side of these nicely made up ladies? Is

it true or otherwise? Experts of the list only can say. For many a

times I am not lucky enough that way - to look beautiful standing by

the side of my own beautiful lady.

For she does not create a big gap or dent on the cosmetics display

bench. She buys only some minor things that cause only small

scratches – really small ones - on my credit cards – I may be lucky

this way].

 

saa vasthram anga raagam cha bhooshaNaani sraja: thathaa |

maithilee prathijagraaha preethi dhaanam anuththamam || 2-118-21

 

Meaning: Seethaa accepted the apparel, the scented cosmetic, the

jewels and the garlands as unsurpassed gifts of love.

 

prathigruhya cha thath seethaa preethi dhaanam yasasvinee |

slishTa anjalipuTaa dheeraa samupaastha thapOdhanaam || 2-118-22

 

meaning: Having accepted those gifts of love, the illustrious Seethaa

with joined palms, sat near that female ascetic.

 

Just by going through the above, if all male members understand

the `purpose of spending on cosmetics' by their wives, I think my

purpose of writing this is served. [of course this is in utmost

lighter vein]

 

It also adds a small satisfaction to me, that, I brought out a very

small incident to the notice of a good section of people across, from

sreemadh raamaayaNam, which generally go unnoticed in a lecture

series [thodar upanyaasam] on raamaayaNam is conducted.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.