Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- sundarakanda

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5. Hanuman sees Seetha

 

Hanuman

climbed on the wall of the Asokavana and

his mind was filled with hope that he would find Seetha there. He shot in to

the Asokavana like the arrow from a bow.

When he leaped from tree to tree

the branches were shaken and the flowers fell on him. he looked like the

spring in person. Hanuman saw the platforms and flooring made of gold, and the

steps of a river inlaid with gems and

the sand on the shore being corals and pearls. The river itself was falling

from a mountain like a damsel slipping and coming down from the lap of her

lover. The speed of the river was stopped by the low branches of the trees in

some places and started again with force afterwards. This is compared by

Valmiki to a woman cross with her husband and leaves him but goes back by being

pacified by the relatives.

 

Hanuman

was impressed by the beauty of the place which resembled the Nandanavana of

heaven and thought that Seetha would definitely come there as she was fond of

sylvan surroundings. He expected that Seetha would come to that river of fresh

water to do her sandhyavandhan. This denotes that in olden days even the women

were following the daily vedic rituals.

 

Hanuman

placed himself on the sismsupa tree in the Asokavana which facilitated him to

look around the Asokavana. There were thousands of asoka trees with flowers of different hues, which must

have given the name. the various flowers in Asokavana resembled the sky with

multitudes of stars or the sea with numerous gems. Hanuman saw a temple like structure supported by

thousands of pillars, sky-high with its steps made of corals and the platforms

made of gold.

 

Then

he saw Seetha with soiled garment, surrounded by rakshasis, emaciated by

fasting, sighing often and looking like the crescent moon at the beginning of

the bright fortnight. She was like fire concealed by smoke, like the star

Rohini under the influence of Mars and like a doe surrounded by hounds. Hanuman

recognized her as the same person whom

they saw from the Rsyamooka mountain, being carried away by Ravana. He saw the

ornaments described by Rama as worn by her hanging on the branches of the tree,

which she must have taken off, not liking to decorate herself when separated

from Rama. The ornaments which she threw down while being carried away were not

to be found there. The yellow cloth seen on the branch of the tree was the same

as the one in which the ornaments which Seetha threw down on the Rsyamooka

mountain were tied up. From all these

signs Hanuman surmised that she was Seetha.

 

Seeing

her equal in beauty and glory to Rama,

Hanuman marveled at the fact that Rama was surviving after being

separated from her. He also felt for Rama who was grieving over the separation

for four reasons. From kaarunya,

compassion that a woman has disappeared, from , aanrSamsya, pity that being her husband he did not protect her who

is his dependent, from Soka, grief

that she was his wife and from madhana,

love because she was dear to him. The implied meaning is that both survived

while being separated because they were never separated in reality. Each live

in the other as Kamban said maaRippukku idhayam eidhinaar in Balakanda when they saw each other for the first

time and also because being the

incarnations of the divine couple, Lakshmi is always in the heart of Narayana

as the Azvar says, agalakillEn enRiRaiyum alarmelmangai uRai maarbha.

 

Hanuman wondered about the power of destiny which brought

such sorrow even to Seetha who was protected by Rama and Lakshmana, the

saviours of the whole universe. Here it should be remembered that though Rama

and Seetha had no karma to bring joy or sorrow in their lives, They , having

taken the human birth, enacted the life of the ordinary mortals. Rama had to

live and behave like a human being in order to effect the ravanavadha and

Seetha also did so for the same reason. Hanuman thought how deserving were Rama

and Seetha to each other. Here Valimiki refers to Seetha as asithekshaNaa, one with dark eyes, which

signifies a dark cloud, full of the rain

of mercy towards devotees who surrender to the Lord. His heart is full of mercy

only because the divine mother stays there.

 

Hanuman

further thought that Seetha was instrumental in Rama killing ViraDha and Khara

and DhooshaNa and for Sugriva to get the kingdom after the slaying of Vali by

Rama. Thus she helps in the dhushtsnigraha and Sishta paripalana of the

Lord. Sugriva had the good fortune of

being seen by her and through that Lakshmikataaksha he got prosperity and

kingship. Hanuman decided that even the kingdom of three worlds would not be

equal to Seetha. This is because she was Mahalakshmi herself whose grace

secures all the sowbhaagyam in the world, as Desika says in Sristhuthi,

 

Yasyaam yasyaam dhiSi viharathe dhevi

dhrshtiH thvadheeyaa

 

Thasyaam yjasyaamaham ahamikaam thanvathe

sampadhoughaaH

 

 

`

Devi, in which ever direction your glance moves all the riches follow there

competing with each other.'

 

The moon was bright at the top of the sky.

Hanuman then saw the rakshasis who were surrounding Seetha.For the success of

any venture one should see something auspicious before anything else. Hence Hanuman

saw Seetha first and then the rakshasis. Valmiki as he did in describing the

rakshasa who surrounded the palace

of Ravana, here also show

his sense of humour by describing the rakshasis elaborately. One had one eye

only, other had no ears, while another had ear like a horn. One had eyes in her

head, another had her hair like a broomstick, while another had no hair at all

and still another had hair like wool. Others had suspended limbs , short and

fat, crooked faces, yellow eyes etc.

Others had faces like animals, some with face inside their body like Kabandha, and features

in all odd places etc. Valmiki never seem to have had enough of describing the

horrible forms of rakshasis among whom

Seeyha looked like a fallen star and a female elephant separated from her mate

and under the grasp of a lion. Seeing her Hanuman, though extremely sad to see her plight, also felt

happy that his search had ended and saluted Rama in his mind.