seethaa's learnings 11

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Post 11

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

After killing maareecha maaya maan - the false deer maareecha - raama returned to the aasramam along with lakshmaNa and started looking for seethaa. Since not found, he started searching seethaa in the forest. The slOkams describing his search and his description of seethaa's beauty are 'poetic' in nature. We could also see how the poet kavi vaalmeeki describes the beauties of raama's wife, by way of putting it as, raama asking all non-speaking ones - plants, trees, and animals 'hey have you seen my beauty seethaa who is alike you in ---- aspects'.

 

So in the 'sOkham' of 'hero' and 'heroine' only vaalmeeki places the beautiful descriptions of his 'hero and heroine'. Perhaps that is his style. Is it a finding from this study - dear readers - you only have to say?

 

For we have seen hanumaan describing raama to seethaa when she is about to go for committing herself to suicide - there also again in her sOkham only, the description of raama comes out thru hanumaan. [please see MGV's detailed series on this earlier]

 

Like how seethaa statrted describing herself saying 'all my beauty and the subha lakshaNams and its fruits all gone waste, since raama has gone' [which incidentally are the sparks that provided the starting of this series], Sri raama also describes 'seethaa' in his 'sOkham' of searching her when she is missing. Let us see few slOkams.

 

Raama asks a kadamba tree -

asthi kachchith thvayaa dhrushTaa saa kadamba priyaa priyaa |

kadamba yadhi jaaneeshE samsa seethaam subha aananaam || 3-60-12

 

meaning: Oh, Kadamba tree, seest thou someone a lady, who is lover of Kadamba flowers, one with a lovable face and a love of mine, thou tellest me if thou knowest.

 

Next raama asks a bilva tree --

snigdha pallava sankaasaam peetha kouseya vaasineem |

samsasva yadhi saa dhrushTaa bilva bilva upama sthanee || 3-60-13

 

meaning: Oh, Bilva tree, if thou seest someone who is dressed in yellowy-ochry silks, whose skin likens to the silkiness of thine leaflets, breasts to thine rotund and silky Bilva fruits, thou tellest me.

 

Point: in these two slOkams seethaa's face, her dress, her skin, her breasts are compared and described. The same "yellow silk dress" is again touched upon in the kaavyam in

1. identifying the jewels which sugreeva brought in front of raama,

2. hanumaan seeing seethaa in asOka vanam.

 

Next raama asks an arjuna tree -

athavaa arjuna samsa thvam priyaam thaam arjuna priyaam |

janakasya suthaa thanvee yadhi jeevathi vaa na vaa || 3-60-14

 

meaning: Otherwise, thou Arjuna tree, if thou knowest her, who is a lover of thine, the arjuna flowers and the ladylove of mine, thou telleth whether that slender-waisted daughter of Janaka liveth or otherwise.

 

Now it is the turn of 'kakubha' tree drawing attentiom of raama

kakubha: kakubha oorum thaam vyaktham jaanaathi maithileem |

lathaa pallava pushpa aaDhyO bhaathi hi Esha vanaspathi: || 3-60-15

 

meaning: As to how this Kakubha tree shineth laden with creepy-creepers, foliole-foliage and flowery-flowers, this tree knowest Maithili whose thighs can be likened to the smoothish trunk of this very Kakubha tree.

 

Then comes the turn of palm tree -

yadhi thaala thvayaa dhrushTaa pakva thaala phala sthanee |

kathayasva varaarOhaam kaaruNyam yadhi thE mayi || 3-60-18

 

meaning: Oh, Palm tree, if thou seest that lady breasted alike ripened-palm fruits of thine, and if thine mercy is mine, thou telleth of that shapely lady Seetha.

 

Next is the jamboo tree - naval maram - krishNa's pet fruit

yadhi dhrushTaa thvayaa seethaa jambO jaamboonadha sama prabhaa |

priyaam yadhi vijaanaasi ni:sanka kathayasva mE || 3-60-19

 

meaning: Oh, Rose-apple tree, if thou seest Seethaa and thee knowest my ladylove with golden glitter, thou telleth me without hesitation.

[Or translated in another way as]

Oh, Rose-apple tree, if thou seest Seetha and thou knowest my ladylove whose complexion is smoothish like thine Rose-apples, thou telleth me unhesitatingly.

 

Point: Animals are now coming in the sight of raama and hence - first is a deer --

athavaa mruga saaba aksheem mruga jaanaasi maithileem |

mruga viprEkshaNee kaanthaa mrugeebhi: sahithaa bhavEth || 3-60-23

 

meaning: Or else, oh, deer, dost thou know what bechanced to that fawn-eyed Maithili, one with quick-looks like thee deer? Or else, hast she herded herself into the herd of she-deer of yours.

 

gaja saa gaja naasa ooru: yadhi dhrushTaa thvayaa bhavEth |

thaam manyE vidhithaam thubhyam aakhyaahi vara vaaraNa || 3-60-24

 

meaning: Oh, elephant, thou mightst beheld her whose thighs likens to your trunk at that problematic hour, thus methinks, and that Maithili is familiar to thee, and oh, best elephant, if thou beholdest her, thou tallest me.

 

saardhoola yadhi saa dhrushTaa priyaa chandhra nibha aananaa |

maithilee mama visrabdham kathayasva na thE bhayam || 3-60-25

 

meaning: Fear not, oh, tiger, hast thou seen Maithili, the moon faced ladylove of mine, if thou hast seen speak in good faith.

 

peetha kausheyakena asi suucitaa vara var.hNini |

dhaavanti api mayaa dR^iSTaa tiSTha yadi asti sauhR^idam || 3-60-28

 

meaning: Oh, beautifully complexioned lady, even if you are running away your yellowy silk-sari betokens you, stay, if you have goodwill for me.

 

na Eva saa noonam athavaa himsithaa chaaru haasinee |

kruchChram praaptham na maam noonam yathaa upEkshithum arhhathi || 3-60-29

 

Otherwise, she whom I have just seen me may not be Seetha, why because, it is unapt of her to avoid me who attained this wretched state, hence Seetha with cheery smiles is certainly murdered.

 

noonam thath subha dhantha OshTam sunaasam subha kuNDalam |

poorNa chandhra nibham grastham mukham nishprabhathaam gatham || 3-60-31

 

meaning: Her face which is similar to a full-moon with pretty teeth, prettier lips, prettily nose and with pretty earrings, might have obtained a blanched look when being devoured.

 

saa hi campaka varNa aabhaa griivaa graiveyaka ucitaa |

komalaa vilapantyaaH tu kaantaayaa bhakSitaa shubhaa || 3-60-32

 

meaning: But that exquisite and beautiful neck of that lady which shines forth in the colour of Campaka flower, befitting for any neck ornament, indeed it might be glutted down while she is bewailing.

 

noonam vikshipyamaaNou thou baahoo pallava kOmalou |

bhakshithou vEpamaana agrou sa hastha aabharaNa angadhou || 3-60-33

 

meaning: Her two arms which are delicate like tender leaves, ornamented with bangles and bicep-lets might have been definitely nibbled while they are wriggling with quivering fingers.

 

Dear bhakthaas, See how raama describes his wife's beauty -comparing with plants and animals - almost all parts are described

- in 12th the face, in 25th the face, in 31st also face again

- in 13th skin, in 19th the glitter or shiny complexion, in 28th the complexion again,

- in 14th the waist,

- in 15th the thighs, in 24th the thighs again,

- in 13th the breast, in 18th the breast again

- in 18th the overall shape,

- in 23rd the eyes,

- in 29th the smile,

- in 31st the nose, teeth, lips, earrings,

- in 32nd the neck,

- in 33rd the arms

Thus each part and overall is well described by raama the hero about his wife. Similar to what we have seen in seethaa describing herself [again in her sOkham].

 

Dear readers enjoy seethaa's divine beauty as raama places it. Let usconclude this series in next post with few more points as reply to comments received on the krithi kanugonu.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

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