Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

Would you kindly tell us how Mother Sita could become the noblest of

women, and remain an ideal to the entire womanhood for centuries by

undergoing many difficulties, trials and what not, being the divine

consort of Lord Rama.

 

It is said that the Ramayana is Sitayas'caritam. The Ramayana is the

history of Mother Sita as well. Sita was the daughter of Bhumata,

Mother Earth, and was also Kalyanacaritra, a character reputed for

bestowing welfare.

 

During Sita's svayamvara (trial of suitors to win Sita's hand), it

was Lord Rama who alone could lift and break the Sivadhanus, the bow

of Siva. The king of Kosala, though mighty and strong, couldn't lift

the bow. Ravana, matchless valour and strength, couldn't even move

it. Three thousand servants and ninety- elephants brought the

Sivadhanus to the court from King Janaka's shrine. How could Rama

lift the bow, draw the string, and then break it?

 

Rama was one hundred per cent pure magnet. That was why He could

handle the mighty bow. Sita was also a pure magnet. During her

childhood, while she was playing with a ball one day, it so happened

that the ball rolled underneath the Sivadhanus. Then Sita went there,

easily lifted the bow, put it aside, and got her ball back in tact.

This magnetic principle is in every one of us. When an ant starts

crawling on your leg, your head will come to know of it, and even

while you are talking with someone, your hand will pick it up and

remove it instantaneously and involuntarily.

 

A magnet, if it is rusted and dusty, will not draw a piece of iron.

An iron piece or bar due to its long association with a magnet also

becomes a magnet. This is the meaning of the Vedic verse, brahmavid

brahmaiva bhavati. The knower of the Brahman becomes finally Brahman

Himself. You should see that the iron of life should not be rusted by

worldly desires: Otherwise, life ends up in ruins.

 

Sita was highly intelligent. On the eve of leaving Ayodhya, following

His father's command, Rama said to Sita, " Sita! Since I am going away

to the forest, my parents will be left with none to serve and console

them. Why don't you stay back in Ayodhya and serve them until I

return? " Sita responded slowly but surely like this: " Swami! When

your Mother Kausalya wanted to follow you, you told her to stay on at

Ayodhya and serve your father, Dasaratha. You also told her about

scriptural injunctions that command a wife to serve her husband. Now,

contrary to what you have told your mother, you want me not to follow

you and stay behind. Evidently, you have one dharma for your mother

and another for me. Swami! Is this justified? "

 

Then Rama said, " Sita! You will have to eat only green leaves in the

forest. You won't have delicious food for a long time. You can't wear

costly saris and jewels in the forest. Sita! Won't you find it

difficult to live under these conditions? " Sita answered; " Oh! Dear

one! Why should I need all those comforts, which you don't get there?

When you don't want any of these things, I too don't want them. I

only want to be with you and serve you till the end. " Rama asked

another question " Sita! You know a forest is full of wild and cruel

animals. Are you not afraid of them? Can you stay there? "

 

All these dissuading words of Rama were employed to persuade Sita not

to follow him but to stay back. This she understood, and finally

said: " Swami! So long, I was under the wrong impression that my

father got me married to a brave and chivalrous man and not to one

who behaves like this! " This silenced Rama, and He couldn't speak any

more. Ultimately, Rama permitted Sita to follow him to the forest.

This was the intelligence and skill of Sita in the art of

conversation.

 

Sage Vasishtha, the preceptor of the royal family, wanted to crown

Sita in the place of Rama who was to go to the forest according to

his father's command. Sita said, " O Learned Sage! What is it that you

are talking about? Do you ever find moonlight existing separately

from the moon? Can the two, the moon and the moonlight be separated

from each other? Is not Ramachandra a moon and am I not the light to

follow Him wherever He goes? Can I exist without Him? "

 

This was the character of a pativrata, a chaste woman dedicated to

her husband. It has already been noticed that Sita was highly

intelligent. At the time of her wedding, she had to garland Lord

Rama. As you know Rama was ajanubahu, a very tall person. Being

shorter, how could she garland Him then? On this auspicious occasion,

Lakshmana bent down at this very moment to touch the feet of Rama.

Rama too had to bend and lift Lakshmana, touching his shoulders. Sita

took full advantage of the situation and immediately garlanded Rama.

Lakshmana is Adisesha, the seven-hooded serpent supporting the earth

and on him Vishnu reclines. He also lifted that little portion of the

earth where Sita was standing in order to raise her height.

 

In India, at the time of the wedding ceremony, there is the custom of

the bride and the bridegroom pouring talambralu, sacrificial yellow

rice grains on the head of each other alternately. Rama was the son

of the emperor, Dasaratha and Sita was the daughter of another

emperor by name Janaka. So, instead of sacrificial rice, they used

pearls for this ritual. Sita held in her palm some pearls to be

poured on the head of Rama. Since her palm looked like the petals of

a rose, the pearls too looked red in colour. When she poured these

pearls on the head of Rama, they started shining like diamonds as

Rama was wearing a white turban. In the process, a few pearls fell on

the ground. These were neither red nor white in colour and were not

at all beautiful and attractive.

 

There is an inner significance behind all these details. The pearls,

which fell on the ground and were not attractive, represent tamoguna

or the trait of passivity, dullness and gluttony while the white and

bright pearls shining like diamonds on the head of Rama symbolise

sattvaguna (piety, calmness, equanimity). The pearls that looked red

in colour in the palm of Sita represent rajogu a (emotion, passion).

In other words, one who is with God Rama (purusa) is sattvika

symbolised by the white colour; one who is with prakrti, nature, is

rajasika symbolised by the red colour, and one who is neither with

God nor with nature is tamasika.

 

Take another instance from the Ramayana. In the Asokavana in Lanka,

Anjaneya felt very sad on seeing the plight of Sita, who was grieving

over her separation from Rama. He revealed his identity to her by

showing Rama's ring and then told her that he would carry her on his

shoulders to Rama and thus rescue her. Then Sita said, " Anjaneya! I

am pleased with your devotion to Rama. But you have forgotten one

fundamental dharma. If you carry me on your shoulders, and take me

away from Lanka without the notice and permission of Ravana, will it

not amount to abduction? If I allow you to do so, what is the

difference between you and Ravana? Ravana too did the same thing in

bringing me over here without the knowledge of Rama and he came in

disguise. What self-respect will I have if I allow myself to be

carried by you? Shall I get a good name? Lord Rama Himself should

come here, punish Ravana for the mistake he committed. Rama has, of

necessity, to defeat and destroy him first. Then He should take me

away from here in His vehicle most gracefully. This is what I wish. "