October 30 - Sargas 32 and 33 of Sundara Kanda.
On hearing the sweet recital of Sri Rama's story, coming from the thick branches of the Shimshupa tree, Sita was bewildered. She noticed, hiding in the branches, a monkey who shone like lightning. He was attractive like a cluster of Ashoka flowers. He wore a white cloth. He was red in colour. His eyes shone like molten gold. He was speaking softly and melodiously.
Sita was totally disoriented. She was frightened out of her skin by the vanara. She fainted. When she recovered, she started muttering, 'Oh, Sri Rama, Oh, Lakshmana"...
सा वीक्षमाणा पृथुभग्नवक्त्रं
शाखामृगेन्द्रस्य यथोक्तकारम् ।
ददर्श पिङ्गप्रवरं महार्हं
वातात्मजं बुद्धिमतां वरिष्ठम् ॥
"Sita saw Hanuman, with his characteristic chin that had been dented by Indra's vajra in his childhood. He was the chief minister of the king of vanaras, Sugriva. In that sacred moment, Sita saw the foremost among vanaras, Hanuman of incredible qualities, son of the Wind-god, and the greatest among wise and intelligent people on earth."
But how was Sita to know who it was? Sita again lost her consciousness owing to great fear. When she came to, she thought, "It seems I have seen a strange and ugly monkey in my dream. That bodes ill as they say. But am I really dreaming? I am very much awake, full of sorrow, separated from the moon-faced Sri Rama. Perhaps I am so full of Sri Rama and his memories that the recitation I heard is my hallucination. But then how do I explain this physical form I am seeing? It is speaking to me!"
***
Sita prays hard:
नमोऽस्तु वाचस्पतये सवज्रिणे
स्वयम्भुवे चैव हुताशनाय ।
अनेन चोक्तं यदिदं ममाग्रतो
वनौकसा तच्च तथास्तु नान्यथा ॥
"My prayers to the God of speech, Brahma, Indra, Agni... Whatever this vanara has been saying so far to me...I pray that all that is true and not a deception."
***
Hanuman, the wonderful vanara shining like coral, dressed appropriately to inspire respect, got down from the tree. He approached Sita with his arms folded and raised over his head, his body bent low in respect, and spoke very sweet words.
"Oh lady, with eyes like lotus petals, wearing a soiled garment and holding on to the tree, who are you?
"Why are your eyes constantly pouring tears like a white lotus oozing water in the lake?
"You should be a female among gods, or nagas, or gandharvas, indeed a celestial.
"You must be one of the Maruts, Rudras, or Vasus.
"Are you by chance the goddess Rohini who has for some reason slipped down from the abode of gods (and the company of her husband Chandra)!
" Or are you the wife of the great sage Vashishta, Arundhati, who has come away after some quarrel?
"Oh, lady of impeccable beauty, from which world have you come here? What worry bogs you down - is it about your son, father, husband, or brother? Has someone died? That you are touching down on earth makes you human. You certainly look a royal. You seem to me to be Sita herself, the glorious queen of Sri Rama, who has been abducted by Ravana!"
यथा हि तव वै दैन्यं रूपं चाप्यतिमानुषम् ।
तपसा चान्वितो वेषस्त्वं राममहुषी ध्रुवम् ॥
"Indeed, oh noble lady, seeing your distressed plight, your utterly human but royal form, and seeing that you have been leading an ascetic life, and your garment, I am now certain that you should be the great lady Sita herself, the queen of Sri Rama!"
Having thus spoken, Hanuman climbed back onto the tree (obviously to appear less threatening.) Sita was delighted to hear him speak about Sri Rama, and began to tell him her story.
"Know me to be the daughter-in-law of the foremost of kings on earth, the most powerful and virtuous King Dasharatha. I am the daughter of the great-souled King Janaka of Videha. My name is Sita and I am the wife of Sri Rama.
"I enjoyed all worldly pleasures possible without any hindrance for twelve years in Ayodhya.
"In the thirteenth year, King Dasharatha wanted to anoint Sri Rama as the Prince Regent. His queen Kaikeyi was adamant, threatening a fast unto death. She extracted boons from Dasharatha that entailed Sri Rama's banishment to the forest.
"Sri Rama was not perturbed in the least, saying that upholding the truthfulness and nobility of his glorious father was far more important to him than being the Prince Regent.
"He happily left for the forest. I said I would go along and in fact, marched ahead of Sri Rama. We spent many happy years in the forest. Lakshmana, his noble, younger, brother, came along."
वसतो दण्डकारण्ये तस्याहममितौजसः ।
रक्षसापहृता भार्या रावणेन दुरात्मना ॥
द्वौ मासौ तेन मे कालो जीवितानुग्रहः कृतः ।
ऊर्ध्वं द्वाभ्यां तु मासाभ्यां ततस्त्यक्ष्यामि जीवितम् ॥
"While the most glorious Sri Rama was staying in the Dandaka forest (with us), I, Sri Rama's wife, was abducted by the most heinous rakshasa, Ravana. He has granted me lease of life of another two months. After that period, I will be giving up my life."
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
