Happy Deepaavali to all!
Today, November 4, Thursday, we read of the sacred moment in Srimad Valmiki Ramayana when Sita gives Mahaveera Hanuman her Choodamani ornament to be given to Sri Rama (in sarga 38 of Sundara Kanda).
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Hanuman is delighted to hear Sita's explanation of why it was infeasible for her to travel on his back to Sri Rama.
एतत्ते देवि सदृशं पत्न्यास्तस्य महात्मनः ।
का ह्यन्या त्वामृते देवि ब्रूयाद् वचनमीदृशम् ॥
"Oh, Devi Sita, your reasons for not choosing to travel on my back (especially by being strict about not touching any male other than your husband Sri Rama) is typical and special for you who are the glorious wife of the glorious Sri Rama. Who else among women would have said such a thing in this circumstance!?"
Hanuman explains that Sri Rama will be dutifully reported in its entirety Hanuman's conversation with Sita. He also clarifies that his offer to carry Sita over the ocean was occasioned by his extreme distress at seeing Sita's precarious condition and the difficulty for everyone else to cross over the hundred yojana ocean to come to Lanka for her rescue.
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Hanuman now asks Sita,
अभिज्ञानं प्रयच्छ त्वं जानीयाद् राघवो हि यत् "Devi Sita, would you give me something that Sri Rama will recognize instantly as coming from you!? "
Valmiki says, सीता सुरासुतोपमा उवाच वचनं मन्दं बाष्पप्रग्रथिताक्षरम् - "That blessed daughter of the gods, Devi Sita, responded to Hanuman's request, in a soft voice choked with tears."
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Sita recounts an episode that only Sri Rama and Sita know about, which happened in their idyllic days in Chitrakoota.
Once, in the afternoon, Sri Rama was resting in that beautiful shady garden, and Sita was seated in his lap. It was an intimate moment. Just then a wicked crow came and started pecking Sita between her breasts, attracted no doubt to her wonderful physical shape.
Sita was annoyed, embarassed, and hurt by the crow and she tried her best to shoo him away without disturbing Sri Rama's reverie. At one stage, she had to get up from Sri Rama's lap to readjust her clothes. Sri Rama woke up and teased her, asking what was bothering her. She did not tell him about the crow.
Soon it was Sri Rama's turn to take a siesta, laying his head in Sita's lap. The crow was hell-bent on pecking Sita in her fleshy chest. He came and clawed her badly and blood started dripping from the spot and woke up Sri Rama.
Sri Rama was angry seeing her wound. "Oh beautiful Sita, who dares to to provoke a five-hooded serpent? Who has hurt you!?" Looking around, he saw the crow. That crow was in fact Indra's son, a kind of divine crow travelling the three worlds. Sri Rama's eyes rolled in utter fury and he picked up a blade of darbha grass, invoked the Brahmastra (the mightiest weapon), and released it after the crow. The crow was alarmed and flew at incredible speed to save himself, but the Brahmastra followed, catching up with him. He went to his father, Indra, then rishis and so on. Nobody dared to rescue him or interfere with Sri Rama's missile coming after him. At last, in the very last moment before he would be destroyed, the crow came to Sri Rama's feet and pleaded,"Please forgive me, oh, Sri Rama! Spare me my life!"
शरण्यः शरणागतं कृपया पर्यपालयत् - "The refuge of the world, Sri Rama, saved that crow who had come to him in surrender."
Sri Rama said that the Brahmastra could not go in vain, and he would reduce the punishment to hurting one part of the crow's body so that his life would be saved. The crow offered his right eye and the astra destroyed it on Sri Rama's order and thus the crow was saved.
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By narrating this intimate story, Sita tells Hanuman that the greatest warrior and the refuge of the world Sri Rama, who had invoked the Brahmastra itself on a mere crow for hurting Sita, should now rise and act to save Sita as her time is running out fast and Ravana has to be detroyed at once. Or he can send Lakshmana at least to save her.
Hanuman, in utter sympathy, tells Sita to hold on to her courage and hope a little longer -
इमं मुहूर्तं दुःखानां द्रक्ष्यस्यन्तमनिन्दिते
"Oh Devi Sita! the moment has come when your sorrows will end. Just see. Sri Rama and Lakshmana will come, destroy Ravana and his people, and take you safely back to Ayodhya."
Hanuman asks Sita for any messages she wants to be conveyed personally to Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva.
Sita says," Please bow to Sri Rama and offer my salutations to the son of blessed Devi Kausalya.
"And offer my remembrances to the supreme hero, Lakshmana, who gave up all his regal luxuries and comforts, and respecting his blessed mother Sumitra and his father, chose to become an ascetic and follow and serve Sri Rama in the forest.
पितृवद्वर्तते रामे मातृवन्मां समाचरत् "Lakshmana treated Sri Rama as his father and me as his mother. The most glorious warrior Lakshmana did not know when I was abducted (If he were around the abduction would have been impossible for Ravana). ह्रियमाणां तदा वीरो न तु मां वेद लक्ष्मणः "
Sita recounts how glorious Lakshmana was in his duties and conduct. Sri Rama did not miss his own father's love or company as Lakshmana took care of everything. Lakshmana was a man of few words and was tireless in constant, efficient, and proactive activity to take care of them.
Sita says that Lakshmana will do everything even now to alleviate her distress.
Sita requests Hanuman to convey everything he has seen and heard in such a way that Sri Rama comes and rescues her within the remaining month. She gives the example of how Kaushiki was saved once even from Paatala.
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ततो वस्त्रगतं मुक्त्वा दिव्यं चूडामणिं शुभम् ।
प्रदेयो राघवायेति सीता हनुमते ददौ ॥
"Then Sita removed her divine, auspicious, ornament, Choodamani, which had been secreted away in her garment, and handed it over to Hanuman, saying that he should give it to Sri Rama."
Hanuman received it in utter reverence and fixed it on his finger, as it was too small to be worn by him asn an armlet.
सीतां प्रदक्षिणं कृत्वा प्रणतं पार्श्वतः स्थितः "Hanuman circumambulated Sita, bowed down, and stood reverentially by her side."
Valmiki says that physically Hanuman was next to Sita, but his mind had already gone to Sri Rama.
Valmiki says that Hanuman then readied himself to take off like a mountain being lifted away by a powerful enough wind.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
