February 5 - Sarga 114 of Yuddha Kanda.
This and the next couple of sargas are difficult for any devotee of the Ramayana. They depict the inscrutable irony of fate and the sourness of human experience, even for a Sri Rama and a Sita. More so for a Sita. A tragedienne like no other, she faces rejection and calumny that she never deserved.
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Hanuman submits to Sri Rama Devi Sita's message, describing her condition like only he can.
यन्निमित्तोऽयमारम्भः कर्मणां यः फलोदयः ।
तां देवीं शोकसन्तप्तां द्रष्टुमर्हसि मैथिलीम् ॥
सा हि शोकसमाविष्टा बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणा ।
मैथिली विजयं श्रुत्वा द्रष्टुं त्वामभिकाङ्क्षति ॥
पूर्वकात् प्रत्ययाच्चाहमुक्तो विश्वस्तया तया ।
द्रष्टुमिच्छामि भर्तारमिति पर्याकुलेक्षणा ॥
"Revered Sri Rama, on whose account were our endeavours thus far, and for whose sake were our victorious exertions, that Devi Sita, burnt with grief for long; her you should see at once.
"That Devi, fully immersed in grief, and with eyes brimming with tears, that Sita, now dearly wants to see you, my lord!
"Drawing trust and confidence from my earlier, firm, assurances the imminent amelioration by you of her condition, she has conveyed through me her simple message: 'I wish to see my lord and master, Sri Rama", and her eyes were full of tears as she said this to me."
Hearing Hanuman's words, Sri Rama, supreme among those who upheld Dharma, went into deep, pensive thought. Then, heaving a heavy sigh, in full view of everyone, he addressed King Visbhishana who had come there meanwhile.
दिव्याङ्गरागां वैदेहीं दिव्याभरणभूषिताम् ।
इह सीतां शिरःस्नातामुपस्थापय मा चिरम् ॥
"Dear King Vibhishana, kindly escort Sita over here after she has been given a head bath, anointed with divine unguents and fragrances, and adorned with divine ornaments. Please do this without delay."
Vibhishana lost no time in going to Devi Sita and he greeted her with a bowed head. "Dear Lady! Please hurry and get ready with divine adornments and fragrances, and please come in this royal palanquin at once as your dear husband wants to see you. "
अस्नात्वा द्रष्टुमिच्छामि भर्तारं राक्षसेश्वर! "Oh, King! Indeed I want to meet my husband as I am, in my present condition, before taking any bath!" What a pathos-filled, pithy assertion this is from Sita! She wanted Sri Rama to see her for what she had been through, in truth, unwashed!
Vibhishana took a moment and counselled Sita:
यथाऽह रामो भर्ता ते तत्तथा कर्तुमर्हसि "Dear Lady, whatever your husband Sri Rama has said, as he has wished, I think you should do that in compliance."
तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा मैथिली पतिदेवता ।
भर्तृभक्त्यावृता साध्वी तथेति प्रत्यभाषत ॥
"On hearing those words of Vibhishana, Devi Sita, the paragon of devotion to her husband, who worshipped Sri Rama as her god, said, "Be it so", in acquiescence."
Thereafter, Devi Sita was helped with the ceremonial bath by Vibhishana's queens, and got ready with wonderful garments, jewellery, and anointments. Full of splendour, she got on the illuminated palanquin, and was escorted under the ceremonial guard of the rakshasas by King Vibhishana.
King Vibhishana approached Sri Rama who was ostensibly in deep meditation, and submitted that Devi Sita had been escorted to his vicinity.
तामागतामुपश्रुत्य रक्षोगृहचिरोषिताम् ।
रोषं हर्षं च दैन्यं च राघवः प्राप शत्रुहा ॥
"Sri Rama, the vanquisher of external enemies, became a victim of (the inner foes) anger, as well as exultation, and at the same time also a sense of utter misery, contemplating that Sita had been for long in the home of the rakshasa Ravana, and had now arrived there."
Having given considerable thought to the fact that Sita had been escorted there in a palanquin, Sri Rama addressed Vibhishana putting some cheer into his words.
"Oh Vibhishana, lord of rakshasas, and always devoted to my victory, kindly inform Sita to come to me."
Vibhishana set about at once to clear the path for Sita, by pushing back all onlookers. This is a familiar scene for all of us who have observed VVIP movements and crowd control.
Rakshasa guards, wielding canes, pushed back the vanaras, bears, and rakshasas, all eager to be into the goings-on and wanting to watch the developments at close quarters. The onlookers were soon dispersed forcibly into a distance. The vanaras started raising a lot of noise as was their wont.
Sri Rama saw what was going on and the restiveness developing all around. He was greatly annoyed. He stopped the guards at once.
"Looking at those security guards with his burning looks, Sri Rama addressed Vibhishana in great annoyance.
"Why do you show disrespect to me by forcibly evicting these people? Please stop this provocative act at once. Know that these people are dear to me. Within their own homes and surroundings, women need not be shielded from onlookers forcibly like this, because it serves no purpose in giving them privacy or protection. "
नेदृशा राज सत्कारा वृत्तमावरणं स्त्रियाः "Know this, King, that women are guarded and protected entirely by their impeccable character alone, and not by these enforced seclusions."
व्यसनेषु न कृच्छ्रेषु न युद्धेषु स्वयम्वरे ।
न क्रतौ नो विवाहे वा दर्शनं दुष्यते स्त्रियाः ॥
"Under dire circumstances of distress or difficulty or disease, or during battles, or in the svayamvara bridal ceremony, or during yajnas or during wedding rituals, if women are seen by outsiders and onlookers, this brings no sin or taint to them."
सैषा विपद्गता चैव कृच्छ्रेण च समन्विता ।
दर्शने नास्ति दोषोऽस्या मतस्मीपे विशेषतः ॥
"This Sita has been through so much distress and difficulty and danger. She is full of woe. Therefore, when she is seen by the public in such circumstances, no taint will attach to her, especially as she is in my vicinity."
विसृज्य शिबिकां तस्मात् पद्भ्यामेवापसर्पतु समीपे मम वैदेहीं पश्यन्त्वेते वनौकसः
"Therefore let Sita abandon the palanquin and walk up to me, and be seen in my presence by all these vanaras. "
Plunged into pensive thought, Vibhishana carried out Sri Rama's instructions and brought Sita over on foot. Hearing Sri Rama's words, clearly indicative of his annoyed and difficult mood, Lakshmana, Sugriva, and Hanuman were all greatly upset. From his words that were difficult to digest, it was quite apparent that Sri Rama was in a cross and disenchanted mood towards Sita. They were most distressed on perceiving this.
लज्जया त्ववलीयन्ती स्वेषु गात्रेषु मैथिली विभीषणानुगता भर्तारं साभ्यवर्तत
"Shrinking into herself out of great shyness/shame, Sita walked behind Vibhishana and came to her husband."
विस्मयाच्च प्रहर्षाच्च स्नेहाच्च पतिदेवता ।
उदैक्षत मुखं भर्तुः सौम्यं सौम्यतरानना ॥
"Devi Sita, full of delighted surprise, extreme joy and affection, beheld the most tranquil and tender face of her husband who was her god, while her own face was even more tender and benevolent in expression."
Valmiki concludes this part of a difficult narrative by saying that Devi Sita's face lit up like the full moon on seeing to her heart's content what she had craved for during all this time of separation, a look at the moon-like radiant face of her most beloved Sri Rama.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
