August 25 - Sargas 57 and 58 of Aranya Kanda.
The pall of gloom and dismay are being drawn by Valmiki over the minds of the key characters of Ramayana, viz. Sita, Sri Rama and Lakshmana.
For the umpteenth time too, when we read these portions, our hearts bleed for them.
***
अशुभं बत मन्येऽहं गोमायुर्वाश्यते यथा ।
स्वस्ति स्यादपि वैदेह्या राक्षसैर्भक्षणं विना ॥
मारीचेन तु विज्ञाय स्वरमालक्ष्य मामकम् ।
विक्रुष्टं मृगरूपेण लक्ष्मणः शृणुयाद् यदि ॥
स सौमित्रिः स्वरं श्रुत्वा तां च हित्वाथ मैथिलीम्।
तयैव प्रहितः क्षिप्रं मत्सकाशमिहैष्यति ॥
Sri Rama is hastening back to the hermitage after the Mareecha misadventure when he hears jackals howling behind him. There are several ill-omens all around. He ponders in extreme agitation:
"I consider it most inauspicious that the jackal howls like this. Indeed I hope that Vaidehi Sita is safe and has not been eaten up by rakshasas.
" That Mareecha, disguised as a deer, discovered my voice and mimicked it in his deathly cry. Lakshmana would have heard it.
" After hearing it, Lakshmana would have left Sita's side thinking I was in danger. Sita would have despatched him at once to my side. Alas!"
Sri Rama knows that there are many enemies in Janasthana after the killing of Khara and his army. They would have plotted their revenge and perhaps had now succeeded in killing and eating up Sita.
Just then, Sri Rama sees Lakshmana coming towards him with a woebegone face. He speaks sternly to him, "Oh! Lakshmana, how come you have left the side of Sita and exposed her to unthinkable danger from rakshasas!? Why did you not adhere to my word!?"
As Sri Rama castigates Lakshmana, they hurry toward the hermitage. Sri Rama starts panicking that Sita has been killed. He shall not live even for a moment without her.
Kaikeyi's scheme of banishing Sri Rama to a life in the forest would have achieved its aim of his meeting his untimely end there. What will happen to Kausalya when Sri Rama lays down his life in grief and Lakshmana alone returns to Ayodhya!?
Sri Rama figures that Mareecha's cry in his voice calling out to Lakshmana must have shaken him to the core and made Sita so afraid that she would have despatched Lakshmana, leaving herself alone and vulnerable to rakshasas.
Sita was the epitome of love and dedication, suffering every hardship in the forest just to be by Rama's side. A princess of Mithila now being eaten up by rakshasas would be the greatest tragedy and Sri Rama would surely not survive it even for an instant.
स्वमाश्रमं स प्रविगाह्य वीरो
विहारदेशाननुसृत्य काञ्श्चित्।
एतत्तदित्येव निवासभूमौ
प्रहृष्टरोमा व्यथितो बभूव ॥
"That valiant Sri Rama entered the hermitage and searched thoroughly in vain for Sita. He rushed out and looked in all the usual places where she used to roam about. He was most distraught. It dawned on him that she was no more there and his hair stood on end with Sri Rama becoming certain about her disappearance. "
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
