Wednesday 19 March 2014

151. Rama and Sugreeva became friends.

                  Hanuman took both the princes straight to his master Sugreeva and told him "Oh! Sir, this is Rama and the other one is his brother Lakshmana. Rama is the son of the great king Dasharatha of Ikshvaku dynasty. Rama came to the forests of dandaka along with his wife and his brother Lakshmana due to certain compelling reasons.
               "Ravana stole the wife of Rama when dwelling in the forests. He has come seeking you in this regard. These two brothers Rama and Lakshmana, are desirous to make friendship with you. I suggest that you agree to that as it will be very advantageous to you, too." 
               Sugreeva readily agreed and told Rama "Sir, I consider it a great honour to become your friend. As a mark of my friendship, hereby I extend my arm. Take this hand of mine into yours and let the convention be stably made fast." 
              Rama gladly clasped the extended hand of Sugreeva, and ardently abiding by the vow of friendship he embraced Sugreeva, grippingly and happily.
              Then Hanuman produced fire with two sticks and then made it to glow. He then decorated, worshipped the fire with flowers, and then gladly and devoutly placed that fire in between Rama and Sugreeva.
              Then Rama and Sugreeva  performed circumambulations to that well glowing ritual fire, and thus entered into the pact of friendship.




              And then Sugreeva snapped off and spread a fully flowered tree-branch of sala tree with many leaves, and sat on it along with Rama. Then Hanuman the son of Vayu, gladly gave a well-flowered branch of sandalwood tree to Lakshmana. Then that delighted Sugreeva with his sweet words, and with his eyes quavering in happiness, told Rama softly "Rama, I am ridiculed, stolen is my wife, I move here about in these forests with dread and fear haunting me. I took refuge in this impenetrable forest. It is my own brother who denounced me. He has declared me an enemy of his. Because of that I am living in these forests with scare and fear, and with dismayed vitality. I fervently entreat you to protect me from my powerful and mighty brother Vali." 
                Rama nodded and replied with a smile "A friend is the resultant factor of helpfulness. Also a friend in deed is a friend indeed. I certainly will eliminate that Vali, the abductor of your wife. The arrows of mine are unfailing and scorchers like sun, sharp ones tied with eagle feathers, similar to Indra's Thunderbolts, sharp are their point and straight is their egress, similar to enraged snakes, and these arrows of mine will be sped up to fall on that vicious Vali. 
               "You may visualize now itself the falling of Vali like a splintered mountain onto the ground, when completely ruined by these cruel arrows that are similar to venomous snakes." Thus Rama inculcated confidence in Sugreeva.
                The assuring words of the confident Rama appeased Sugreeva, who became completely satisfied told Rama "By your grace, Dear Rama, let me regain my wife and kingdom." 
              During the friendly conversation between Rama and Sugreeva, the left eyes of Seetha, Vali and Ravana that bear similitude with lotuses, golden orbs, and fireballs respectively fluttered equally.
Comment.
 The flutter of left eye to the male is considered a bad omen while to the female it is a good omen.
End Comment. 
Sarga 5
                 Then Sugreeva having got such a mighty ally grew more and more happy every moment. In a highly ecstatic mood he told Rama "My best minister Hanuman who seems to have become your most adherent follower informed me of the reason for which you have come to the forests along with your wife and your brother Lakshmana. I also learnt that while living in the forest, a rakshash took away your dear wife when you and your brother were not with her.
                  "And he also said about that rakshash killing the eagle Jataayu who was trying to save your wife from that rakshash. I, hereby assure you that very shortly I will find where your dear wife is and will retrieve her, like the retrieval of Vedic Scriptures.

Comment.
When four Vedas were stolen by the twin rakshashas called Madhu and Kaitabha, Vishnu retrieved them, in his Fish incarnation. Again when rakshash called Somakaasura stole them, Vishnu in the form of Hayagreeva (Horse-faced Divinity), retrieved them. 
End Comment.                

            "Oh! Rama, I will fetch your wife to give her to you wherever she may be, in netherworld or even in the empyrean world. Now consider that your wife is as good as an indigestible foodstuff made with poison, indigestible even for Indra.
             "Oh! Dear Rama! In fact I saw your wife when she was being carried away by the rakshash. She was crying piteously calling 'Rama, Rama...' and also calling 'Lakshmana...' and she was writhing in the flanks of that rakshash Ravana like the wife of the serpents' lord. I saw her when I, with my ministers were on the cliff of the mountain. On seeing us she dropped the upper cloth of her sari along with some jewellery.
            "We took those jewellery items and stored them safely. I will get them and you may confirm whether they, in fact, belong to Seetha." 
                Rama was surprised as well as pleased and said eagerly "Get them quickly, my friend." Sugreeva went in and brought the jewelry covered by the sari cloth. Taking and seeing them Rama's handsome face became like a mist filled moon, and his eyes brimmed over with tears. He could not contain his anguish for Seetha, but at the same time happy to see the ornaments. However, the separation from his dear better half was so excruciating, he fell on the ground wailing 'oh, dear... oh, dear...' The more he hugged those decorative ornaments close to his heart, the more he hissed like a wrathful serpent in a snake pit. With the unending rush of tears he saw Lakshmana at his side and started to wail piteously. "Lakshmana, see this upper cloth and these ornaments of Vaidehi, shed from her body and dropped onto the ground while she was being carried away. Seetha must have definitely dropped these ornaments onto pasture land, for they appear to be in their original shape, without any dent or any other damage." 
                   Lakshmana nodded in agreement and commented "I have not seen the earrings or the bracelets. Except en passant I have never seen her face in detail. But because I always salute her feet I definitely recognize these anklets well."
                Rama nodded and turning to Sugreeva and asked him "Please tell me towards which country that rakshash was going along with Seetha."
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