Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- sundarakanda

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4. The search for Seetha (left out by mistake)

 

The palace of Ravana , protected

with fearful and strong rakshasas who were roaming round, resembled the

ocean containing large waves, and fierce animals It contained all the wealth of all the devas

like Varuna. Kubera and Indra. The palace was made of gold and silver and

studded with precious gems. When the whole Lanka was constructed with gold,

silver and precious gems it could be well imagined how the palace of its king

would have looked like. The external appearance and the interior decorations

surpassed all description in their richness and beauty. It was enhanced by the

multitudes of beautiful damsels brought from all parts of the universe which

Valmiki describes as sthree vanam of

Ravana, the garden or the forest of women as they were like beautiful trees and

creepers full of flowers, birds and bees.

Valmiki describes elaborately the

numerous women of Ravana who were

everywhere since it was his harem that Hanuman entered now. They were like

lotuses with swans and bees, all motionless because they were asleep. Ravana was like the moon

surrounded by stars. Except Seetha all the damsels brought by Ravana came

willingly seeing the glory of Ravana.

 

Then Hanuman saw a large and richly decorated cot with an umbrella

made of white silk, and fanned by women standing around. On that Hanuman saw

Ravana sleeping. He was like a dark

cloud, with gold ornaments and rich attire and resembled the dark red cloud of

the evening accompanied with lightning. He looked like the mandhara mountain.

Hanuman went near him and saw Ravana at close quarters. His arms were like five

headed serpents, and his shoulders showed the marks made by the tusks of

Airavataha , the elephant of Indra , by the vajra of Indra and by the chakra of

Vishnu when he fought against the devas.

 

The ladies who entertained Ravana before his sleep with their

music and instruments, were sleeping along with their instruments, embracing them as though they were in the

embrace of their lovers. Among them there was a separate bedstead with a richly

decorated bed on it and Hanuman saw Mandodhari who was beautiful and noble

looking, sleeping on it and for a moment Hanuman thought that it was Seetha and

became exuberant and displayed the natural excitement of the monkeys by making

sounds, kissing his tail, and ran here and there, climbed the pillars coming

down fast etc. But the next moment he regained his composure resented his

opinion that it was Seetha because

separated from Ramashe would not decorate herself nor enjoy herself, nor

she would sleep in the harem of Ravana.

Hanuman had searched all over the palace of Ravana and saw thousands of women sleeping in all

sorts of states and poses, all of them beautiful and young. He suddenly had qualms of conscience that he swerved from

his brahmacharya by looking at these women thus. But he was reassured by the

fact that his mind was not disturbed and ha had search for Seetha only among

women as a female lost could not be

found among the deer.

 

Then Hanuman started having misgivings about the safety of Seetha,

worrying whether she fell down in the sea or was killed by Ravana because she

did not accept him and was eaten by the

rakshasas or she might have died of fright seeing the monstrous forms and

nature of the rakshasas. He wondered what he would say to the vanaras who were

waiting for him, who would give up their lives as the time limit given by

Sugriva had elapsed. Then he thought

that it is not proper to give up hope and he searched all the places again.

There was not an inch of space where he did not look into and he saw the

vidhyadhara women , naga damsels, and every kind of female but not Seetha.

 

Any way Hanuman thought

that it was not fitting to go back and tell Rama that Seetha was not found. But

by not telling him Hanuman would be failing in his duty as a trustful servant.

If Seetha was not found, Rama hearing it would not live and if he gave up his

life. Lakshmana, Sugriva and other vanaras together with their wives would also

die. Bharatha, Sathrughna and their mothers would all die on hearing Rama's

demise. Hence he thought that by his returning to Kishkindha he would be the

cause of destruction of Ikshvaku race and of the vanaras. So he thought that

perhaps it would have been better that he remained in Lanka living the life of

a celibate or enter into the fire and the vanaras and Rama, Lakshman and

Sugriva would live with the hope that he might return.

 

He had an alternate thought that he could perhaps kill Ravana or

capture Ravana and take him to Rama.

When he was contemplating like this with sorrow he saw a place dense

with tress and thought that he never looked there yet. Then he prayed to Rama

Lakshmana and Seetha and also to the devas and decided to search in the place

which was called Ashokavna, the name itself suggestive of the fact that his

sorrow was going to be removed.

 

This sloka which Hanuman said before he went to search in

Ashokavana is supposed to be effective

when something is lost. Chanting the sloka will make us regain that which could

not be found earlier.

 

namosthu raamaaya

salakshmaNaaya

 

namosthu dhevyai

janakaathmajaayaI

 

namosthu

rudhrendhrayamaanilebhyo

 

namosthu

chandhaarkamaruthgaNebhyaH

 

My salutations to Rama with Lakshmana and to Seetha the daughter

of Janaka.. My salutations to Rudra, Indra, yama and Vayu and also to the moon,

sun and the maruths.