Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- sundarakanda

[Guest guest]

10. Choodaamani pradhaanam

 

Seetha

then expressed her anxiety whether Rama would come and rescue her as Ravana had

given a time limit of which only two more months were remaining . She said that

if Rama did not come by that time She would give up her life. Hanuman comforted

her saying that Rama would surely come as soon as he returned and conveyed the

news about her and the reason he did not come so far was not because he had

forgotten her or discarded her but only because he did not know her

whereabouts. Rama was equally grief-stricken and suffering and spent his days

thinking of her only.

 

Hanuman

then suggested that he could end the suffering of both of them that very moment

and asked Seetha to allow him to carry her on his back so that he could take

her to Rama immediately. Seetha at first pointed out the impossibility of a monkey

to carry her on his back to which Hanuman reacted by increasing his size and

showing her his form by which he crossed the ocean. Then Seetha smiled and said

she knew fully well his might but it was too risky as the rakshasas may attack

him and or she might fall into the ocean out of fright and if rakshasas caught

her they may take her to a place where

no one can find. But finally she said that the main reason was she would not

touch the body of a male willingly and the fact that she was touchéd by Ravana

while he carried her off was unavoidable as she was not in control then. Then Hanuman

accepted her arguments and said that it was true that the operation would be too

risky and as a woman she might not have

the strength or courage to go through with it and the last reason she gave was

entirely in accordance with her character and he praised her saying that no one

else except her would have said that.

 

Hanuman

then asked her for some sign to prove to Rama that he had actually seen her.

Seetha told him about the episode of kakasura which was known only to Seetha

and Rama and gave him her crest jewel on seeing which Rama would feel happy and

remember her as well as his father.

 

She

said that once when she and Rama were alone, Jayantha, the son of Indra, came

as a crow and pecked her at her chest and Rama who was sleeping on her lap got

up by the drops of blood that fell on him and saw the crow still turned towards

her with bloody beak and Rama got furious and took a dharba grass and sent it as the Brahmasthra which pursued Jayantha

in all the worlds. Dismissed by his father, Siva and Brahma as they did not

want to help him against his offence to Rama and Seetha, he came and fell at

the feet of Rama who forgave him but the brahmasthra took the left eye of the

crow saving his life.

 

Hanuman

taking the crest jewel of Seetha with devotion and respect, took leave of her

assuring her that she had to wait only till he goes back to Rama and soon she

would see Rama, Lakshmana and Sugreeva arriving in Lanka with the multitudes of

Vanaras to destroy the rakshasas and rescue her. But Seetha expressed her

concern that how could Rama and others cross the ocean. She said that only

Garuda, Vayu and Hanuman himself could do that. Hanuman assured her that there were

only vanaras equal and mightier than him

in Sugriva's army and if he could cross the ocean they would do it easily. He told

her that only people of mediocre ability are sent as messengers and not those

of great power. Then taking leave of her Hanuman thought about the next course

of action.

 

Hanuman

a messenger of Rama, a Ramadhootha till

he saw Seetha became a Ramadasa after meeting Seetha, through the purushakara of

the divine mother.