July 15 - Sarga 95 and the Prakshipta sarga of Ayodhya Kanda.
Valmiki the poet paints an extremely romantic picture of Sri Rama's sporting with Sita in Chitrakuta. This is the first time we have such Sringara Rasa in our reading.
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Sri Rama continues to direct Sita's attention to more sights. This time it is the Mandakini river. It is frequented by wild animals, birds, and is surrounded by flowering trees.
By the way there is an interesting comment from Valmiki two sargas before. Bharata while commenting on the trees in the forest ringed with flowers, tells Shatrughna that the trees look like ladies from south India who do up their hair beautifully and circle the round bun of hair with a string of flowers (शिरस्सु सुरभीः कुसुमापीडात् कुर्वन्ति दाक्षिणत्या नरा यथा) ! Valmiki surely knew a lot about the different regions and people in different parts of India!
Sri Rama points to Mandakini and says a number of wild animals like elephants have come and recently muddied the river with their splash bath. He also points to bathing spots for sages who come there for their ritual ablutions before dawn.
Sri Rama tells Sita, "we should come often here and bathe, amidst the white and red lotuses!"
Sri Rama says that life cannot get any better for them. He does not miss Ayodhya or royal living.
इमां हि रम्यां गजयूथलोडितां
निपाततोयां गजसिंहवानरैः ।
सुपुष्पितां पुष्पभरैरलङ्कृतां
न सोऽस्ति यः स्यान्न गतक्लमः सुखी ॥
"My dearest, would there be anyone who doesn't get rid of his fatigue and feel happy seeing this lovely Mandakini river, with her waters muddied by bathing elephants, water splashed upon her banks by elephants, lions, and monkeys, bedecked with lotuses and showered with blooms by trees on her banks? "
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The next sarga we read today is called Prakshipta. It is considered a later interpolation and not included in "critical" editions. But it serves an important purpose and so I cover it here.
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Sri Rama and Sita come upon a beautiful cave. It is surrounded by a garden-like patch. Sri Rama tells Sita to sit down on a lovely rock there and rest. Sita responds to his very romantic mood. Sita sits on Rama's lap. Rama picks a colourful lumpy stone and makes a powder of it and applies it as a lovely tilak on Sita. Sri Rama points to the singing birds. One young cuckoo is calling out not so musically but still Sri Rama predicts a bright future as a singer for him.
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Valmiki says Sita was looking bewitching.
They got up and continued meandering. Suddenly a monkey surprised them. Sita was quick to hug Rama in fright. The vermilion coloured mark he had applied on her forehead left a smear on his chest. Sita giggled pointing it out.
Sita saw a beautiful Ashokavana. Those trees looked very inviting. They went there. She asked Rama to bring her those lovely Ashoka flowers. He brought them gladly. They decked each other with those flowers. Indeed together, Sri Rama and Sita were themselves an adornment for Chitrakuta.
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When they returned, they had a delectable feast in making. Lakshmana had hunted down black buck and gathered a lot of forest roots and fruits. They offered the food to the gods and then enjoyed a lovely meal served by Sita. Sri Rama told her to offer all the left over food to crows.
Soon Rama and Sita needed a siesta. First Sita rested on Rama's lap. When she woke up, Rama lay down resting his head in her lap.
Just then a crow came looking for food. He was attracted to go and nibble at Sita's breast. Sita could not shoo him away. She also didn't want to wake up Rama. After some time, Rama woke up as blood dropped on his cheek. He saw the crow tormenting Sita even when she tried to run away. Sita was very angry at being bothered by the crow.
Rama warned the fellow. But the crow was undeterred. An angry Rama took up a blade of grass and invoked Asishikastra. The astra chased the crow even when he tried to fly away to the three worlds. The crow wasn't ordinary as he had divine boons. But the blade of grass released by Rama was an infallible divine weapon too.
Finally the crow realised he had bitten off more than he could handle. He came and surrendered to Rama.
Rama said,
मया रोषोपरीतेन सीताप्रियहितार्थिना ।
अस्त्रमेतत्समाधाय त्वद्वधायाभिमन्त्रितम् ॥
यत्तु मे चरणौ मूर्ध्ना गतस्त्वं जीवितेप्सया ।
अत्रास्तवपेक्ष्या त्वयि मे रक्षो हि शरणागतः ॥
अमोघं क्रियतामस्त्रमेकमङ्गं परित्यज ।
किमङ्गं शातयतुमते शरैशीकं ब्रवीहि मे ॥
"Mr. Crow, you made me very angry by hurting Sita here who is my beloved and under my care. That is why this astra was invoked by me to kill you.
"Now you have come and taken shelter at my feet. It is in my nature to protect anyone who comes to me for refuge.
"Therefore I shall save you. But any weapon released by me cannot go in vain. So you can live, provided the arrow destroys any one organ of yours. Tell me, which one?"
The crow was mighty relieved. He was intelligent enough to say one of his two eyes may be struck by the arrow. And that is what happened. This crow's story is known as "Kakasura vadha."
It comes in this Prakshipta kanda but the story is again cited in the mainstream version during Hanuman's meeting with Sita in Ashoka Vana! (Sarga 38 of Sundara Kanda.)
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
