by Vanamali
Rama averted his face and spoke in an unusually harsh tone, “I have accomplished what I have set out to do. I have vindicated my honor and kept up the reputation of the fair house of the Ikshvaku clan. I have wiped out the insult that was offered to me and killed the one who abducted you. Hanuman, who leaped across the ocean and destroyed Lanka, has been rewarded. So has Vibhishana who left his brother and took refuge in me. Sugriva and all the other monkey leaders have been applauded for the help they rendered to me.”
Sita had been waiting for a year for the moment when her beloved husband would come and rescue her and take her in his arms and comfort her and make her forget the trials that she had gone through. She could not understand why Rama, who had never spoken harshly to her at any time, was now using this tone of voice, and why he was narrating all these incidents and avoiding her eyes. She looked at him with her fawnlike eyes, which were slowly beginning to fill with tears, and Rama’s heart was torn with agony and love, but he kept a stern check on his natural emotions and continued to speak harshly.
“Don’t think that I have fought this war for your sake. I did it only to save my name and the honor of my race. As you have lived for eleven months in the city of a notorious womanizer like Ravana, do you expect me to believe that he could refrain from ravishing you—you who are so lovely and alluring? That lecherous wretch has feasted his eyes on you and carried you in his arms. Rumors will be rife about you and I cannot take you back. You are now free to go where you wish, O Janaki! I can no longer bear to look at you. Your presence hurts my eyes like blinding sunlight for sore eyes. Now that I have done my duty and rescued you, I owe you nothing more. I belong to a noble house and it does not befit me to take you back. What man born in a noble family would take back a woman who has dwelt in another man’s house for eleven months?”
Hearing this cruel speech coming from the mouth of her husband from whom she had heard nothing but words of love, Sita swayed like a creeper that has been torn from its prop. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she looked like a wilting flower. To make matters worse, there was an interested and sympathetic audience to witness this painful scene. She had thought her heart had been broken when she had been abducted by Ravana, but now she realized that it was nothing compared to this frightful ordeal.
At last she said in faltering tones, “Why do you speak such harsh words to me? This is the talk of a common man to a woman of the streets and you are not a common man, neither am I a woman of the streets. If you doubted me, why did you come to search for me and why did you send Hanuman with your ring? Why didn’t you tell him that you had no further use for me? Why did you take the trouble of crossing the sea and fighting and killing Ravana? You risked your life and the life of all your friends by coming here. You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble and I could have given up my life then and there, and then I would not have had to hear these cruel words. If I had been touched by that sinner when I was being carried away, it was because I was too weak and helpless to protect myself. How can you blame me for that? Even after living with me for so many years, it looks as if you have never understood me. My thoughts and love have never strayed from you, even for a moment. I might be called Janaki, the daughter of Janaka, but I am really Sita, the daughter of the earth. Did you never consider my exalted birth before passing judgment? Does my love and chastity mean nothing to you? If that was so, why did you come? You have given me leave to go where I want. There is only one place I want to go and that is into the heart of a fire.”
Turning to Lakshmana, she said, “Lakshmana, make a pyre for me. It is the only cure for the grief that is burning me more than flames. I have been falsely accused, and I don’t want to live anymore. My husband has repudiated me in front of this big crowd of people and asked me to go where I want. There is only one place for me, and that is the world of Yama!” Her voice choked with emotion, and she could no longer speak.
Lakshmana looked angrily at Rama, who stood with his head cast down like a painted statue. No one dared approach him or try to argue with him. Rama made a gesture with his hand and Lakshmana reluctantly went and made a pyre.
Sita circumambulated Rama three times as he stood with a stony face and a dreadful frown on his face, and then she went slowly toward the blazing fire. She stood with folded palms before it and said:
“If it be true that my thoughts have never at any time wavered from my husband, then let this fire, which is the witness of all things, protect me. If I have never been unfaithful in thought, word, or deed to Rama, who is the repository of all virtues, let the god of fire afford protection to me. If the deities of the sun and the moon and my mother the earth, as well as the deities of the four quarters, know me to be of unblemished character, then let the fire god protect me.”
So saying, she went three times around the fire and then flung herself into the heart of the conflagration before the horrified eyes of the spectators. All the vanaras and the rakshasas who had assembled there set up a loud wail of protest. Clad in yellow silk and adorned with gold ornaments, Sita glowed like molten gold in the heart of the fire. Rama turned his face away, for he could not bear to see this pitiable scene. Though his heart was breaking and his eyes were streaming with tears, he did not do anything to save her, she who was dearer to him than his own life.
At that moment there appeared two chariots in the air, and the celestials showered fragrant flower petals from the air. Brahma came down and spoke to Rama. “How can you stand and watch unmoved while Sita immolates herself in the fire? Don’t you know that you are Narayana, the primeval being, and Sita is Lakshmi, your eternal consort? You were born to destroy Ravana and establish peace on Earth. Now your task is accomplished and dharma has been reestablished.”
As soon as Brahma had finished speaking, Agni, the god of fire, stepped forward from the blaze with Sita in his arms. She was dressed in red and looked as lustrous as the morning sun. Even her garland was not singed by the fire. He handed her over to Rama and said, “Here is your wife, the noble princess of Videha, who is totally without blemish. She was never unfaithful in thought, word, or glance. Believe me and accept this jewel among women!”
Hardly had he finished speaking than Indra, king of the gods, appeared next to Sita. He wore a thin cloak of mist trimmed with stars and stood barefoot just a finger’s width above the ground. His body cast no shadow and his black eyes never blinked.
He bowed before Rama and said, “O Narayana! Thou art the primeval being. You were born on Earth as Rama in order to save humanity from the inequities of Ravana. Sita is your divine consort Lakshmi. Both of you can never be parted, so take her back, return to your country, and rule in peace.” Thus ended Sita’s trial by fire.
Indra asked Rama to request a boon, for he had done him a great service by killing Ravana, who had been a thorn in his side for years. Rama immediately asked him to resurrect all those monkeys who had given up their lives to help him.
“May all these long-tailed monkeys and bears recover from their wounds and rise up once again filled with life and enthusiasm. Let fruits and flowers and roots abound wherever these monkeys live.”
Indra was only too happy to grant this request, and all the fallen monkeys and bears now rose up as if from sleep.
Tears flowed unchecked down Rama’s eyes as he took his beloved wife’s hands into his own. “I know that my wife is pure and chaste as unsullied snow. I never doubted her even for a moment, but if she had not undergone this ordeal by fire, people would have spoken ill of her and of me. They would have said that Dasaratha’s son, blinded by love for his wife, was willing to take her back even though she had lived so long in the house of another man. I knew full well that Sita was totally protected by her purity. Ravana could never have sullied her. She is to me what splendor is to the sun. As a good man cannot abandon a good name, so also I can never abandon Sita. If I spoke harshly to her and watched unmoved when she entered the fire, it was only to vindicate her name before the eyes of all.”
So
saying, he lifted up her face to his and looked deep into her lovely eyes as he had been longing to do. When Sita turned her reproachful, tear-filled eyes at him, Rama chided her softly so that none could hear. “O daughter of the earth! My lovely Sita! How could you think even for a moment that I doubted you? Why do you think I trudged through the length and breadth of this country, if not to catch a glimpse of your bewitching face? Why do you think I faced the wrath of the demon king and risked my life, if I did not crave for you? My dearest love, I repudiated you so that none could ever point an accusing finger at my darling.”
Hearing this passionate declaration, Sita was slightly pacified and looked up at him with all her love pouring out of her eyes. Thus for a long moment they were lost to the world and gazed long and deep into each other’s eyes, much to the joy of all who were assembled there.
Then Lord Shiva came and extolled Rama, telling him that the world owed him a great debt for having exterminated the scourge of Ravana. He blessed him with all success in his life as king of the land of Kosala.
As Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana stood together, they were delighted to see their father, Dasaratha, whom the gods had brought from heaven in an aerial car so that he could see his beloved son once again. The celestials now reminded Rama to return immediately to Ayodhya, for the fourteen years were drawing to a close and Bharata was waiting for his arrival with great anxiety.
In order to end the hostility between the vanaras and the rakshasas, Hanuman suggested that Sugriva’s son should be given in marriage to Vibhishana’s daughter. Everyone approved of the idea and the marriage was conducted in style and blessed by Rama and Sita.
You are the dispenser of the eight supernatural powers
And the nine treasures.
Mother Janaki bestowed this blessing on you!
SRI HANUMAN CHALISA BY TULSIDAS
Aum Sri Hanumathe Namaha!
Aum Sahasravadanaaya Namaha!
28
Sahasravadana
Return to Ayodhya
Tato Ramabhyanujnatam tad vimanamuthamam
Vavande pranato Ramam merusyamiha bhaskaram.
Alighting from their chariots, the citizens stood on the ground and looked up
To behold Rama seated in the aerial car like the moon in the sky.
VALMIKI RAMAYANAM, YUDDHA KANDA
Vibhishana now approached Rama with folded palms and humbly asked him to enter the city of Lanka, where everything had been prepared for a royal welcome.
My Lord, I have prepared various types of baths and oils and unguents for you to refresh yourself. Garments of various kinds and garlands have all been laid out. Kindly refresh and adorn yourself before setting out on the return journey.”
Rama smiled and said, “You may offer all these precious things to Sugriva, for my thoughts are all with my dear brother Bharata. The way back to Ayodhya is long and hard and the fourteen years are coming to a close. Bharata has sworn that he will take his life if I do not reach Ayodhya by the end of the stipulated time.”
Vibhishana said, “My Lord! I will help you to reach Ayodhya in a single day. My brother Ravana forcibly took the aerial vehicle called Pushpaka from his brother Kubera. It was his prized possession. Please accept my hospitality for a few more days and then you can return to Ayodhya in this vehicle.”
Rama was touched by his devotion and said, “Vibhishana, I am well aware of your love for me, but my heart yearns to return to Ayodhya and see my brothers and mothers and the people of Kosala, who must be anxiously awaiting my arrival. However, you may take Hanuman to Ravana’s palace and show him the wonders inside while the rest of us take some rest after the battle.” So saying, he took Sita’s hand in his and went toward the seashore, where they sat close together and she told him of all the sorrows she had gone through.
Hanuman was anxious to know the secrets of the city of Lanka, so Vibhishana led him into Lanka along the empty brick streets to the royal palace. He took him via a secret door to the storeroom. It was locked with ten thousand and one locks, all made with strange, ornate designs. Though the keyholes were of different shapes, Vibhishana opened them all with the same key! The door opened into a huge room that was lit with lamps placed inside glass domes. Hanuman gauged that the room had been dug into the heart of Trikuta Hill. Many shelves lined the wall on which were kept fine linens, patterned silks, and skins of tigers, leopards, lions, and wolves. There were many books made of stone and secret treasure maps. Exquisite vials of perfumes and piles of jewels, gold, and silver filled the shelves.
Vibhishana spoke, “These are the ancient, timeless treasures of our race. In these vaults lie all the lore of old, gathered from the beginning of Time. This room was built by Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods. The rakshasas have a great deal of knowledge, which must not be allowed to perish. You are the only outsider who has ever seen or will ever see this room.”
Hanuman looked curiously around the room and asked, “Why have you favored me like this?”
“Because you are my first and only friend from another race,” said Vibhishana. “Moreover, you are wise and faithful. You put your whole heart into whatever you do and you never seek for any gain. I am really happy to have you as my friend. I know that your heart lies with Rama and you will go with him, but remember that you are always welcome to come here anytime you want.”
Hanuman thanked him, and they locked the room and retraced their steps to where Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were waiting along with the rest of the valiant army of monkeys and bears.
Rama told Vibhishana to fetch the aerial car that would transport them in a day to Ayodhya, as he was keen to see his brothers and mothers as well as the citizens who were waiting so anxiously for him. Vibhishana returned to Lanka and came back with the Pushpaka.
It was a fantastic, flower-bedecked chariot, drawn by white swans. It was like a small city, glittering with gold and silver and adorned with blossoms of every kind and season. Rainbows were made into colored knots over its frame. Inside there were summerhouses and ponds and pools and dining halls. It had benches and beds and a kitchen that supplied every type of food. It was a mind-driven chariot taken forcibly by Ravana from his brother Kubera. It came rolling out on its thousand wheels with all flags flying and wind bells chiming. Vibhishana walked in front of it. He bowed before Rama and requested him to climb into it.
Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita got in without further ado. Even though the Pushpaka was as big as a palace, Rama sat with Sita on his lap, much to her delight. He looked at Hanuman, Vibhishana, Sugriva and all the other vanaras and said with tears in his eyes, “I don’t know in what way I can repay you all for the love and devotion you have shown to me. Sugriva, please return to Kishkinda with your army. My blessings will always be with you. Angada, my dear child, I can never forget your prowess and as for you, O Hanuman, what can I say? Both of us owe our lives to you. Now please give me leave to return to my own city. I have been in exile for so long that my heart yearns to return.”
Sugriva bowed low and said, “Lord, please give us leave to come with you to Ayodhya. We promise not to indulge in any act of destruction, as we monkeys are wont to do. We are most anxious to witness your coronation.”
Rama laughed at their eagerness to accompany him and their promise to behave themselves and said, “I am delighted at he thought that I will enter my ancestral city accompanied by those who have helped me most. Sugriva, ask your people to get in.”
Vibhishana and the other ogres also expressed the same desire. Rama gladly gave his consent, and the whole party got into the Pushpaka, and still there was enough room in it for another army!
One of the most endearing things about Rama was his great love for all animals of land and air. Monkeys, bears, and birds wander in and out of the pages of the narrative of his life as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His love and regard for his animal friends shows a unique facet of his character.
Rama turned to Hanuman and asked him what reward he wanted for his in
valuable services. Hanuman replied, “My Lord! Give me leave to spend the rest of my life in your service!” Rama smilingly agreed.
The divine chariot now rose into the air effortlessly, carried by the four white swans. Celestial flowers rained from the sky as it rose up. The vanara s shouted and whooped with joy, peering over the edge at the ground below, which fell with alarming rapidity.
Sita’s face glowed with happiness and beauty as Rama pointed out various sites that would interest her, through which they had wandered during their long and painful search. First of all, he showed her the battleground and the spot where Ravana had fallen. And then he pointed out to her the amazing bridge built by Nala, over which they had crossed. He kept reiterating the fact that everything he had done was for her sake alone, as if trying to make up for all the harsh words he had spoken to her previously.
“O Princess of Videha! Observe this roaring, swelling ocean, teeming with all sorts of reptiles and fish that is Varuna’s domain. Now we will land on the shore so that you can pray at the temple to Shiva that I had installed.”
