Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty first sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Entering their hermitage where they lived happily for sometime and not finding sItA there, an extremely anxious rAma scurried around looking for her. The mid was already filled with apprehension and doubt and not finding her anywhere nearby seemed to be confirming his worst fears that harm has been done to sItA. He questioned lakshmaNa and disapproved of his explanation. No matter what the provocation was, lakshmaNa was not to behave so in haste and anger. He told lakshmaNa that the common goal was greater than personal disrespect and insult and should not have been sacrificed. Then rAma, bereft of his beloved and not knowing where she was ran from tree to tree, from hill to hill, river to river, enquiring with them if they have seen sItA! mahaRshi vAlmIkI excels in conveying the grief of rAma as he compares one of the beatiful attributes of a given tree to that of sItA and powerfully portrays how rAma was mad in her search. Not knowing what happened to sItA made rAma very restless and devastated. He shed tears in sorrow and anger. His eyes turned red. Onwards…
Seeing the ransacked premises of the hermitage, the strewn around straw mats, cushions and the general disorder and on top of that not finding sItA there, rAma was distraught and addressing sItA said – “enough of this peek-a-boo sItA, don’t hide behind the tree and tease me further! I am devastated! Don’t make me more miserable. Even these fawns with whom you played are missing you and their eyes are filled with tears in distress.”. He threw up his hands in despair, held lakshmaNa’s mighty arms and said –
“O lakshmaNa, where is vaidEhI, where could she have gone from here, who would have abducted her and who would have swallowed her off. Bereft of sItA I will not be alive. That grief of separation from her will consume me and claim my life. And having died, when I go to the other world, my father will surely confront me as to how and why I have come there without fulfilling the promise of being in exile for fourteen years given to him. He will surely call me incapable, dishonest, liar and will fie upon me for being so”.
He then lamented addressing sItA – “O lovely woman, where have you disappeared leaving me here helpless, grieving, miserable, pitiable like fame deserting a crook. Don’t desert me thus sItA for I will cease to live without you”.
rAma grieved miserably, pining for seeing sItA and not finding her anywhere around looked like the elephant caught and sinking into a deep pit of mud unable to rescue itself and crying aloud. Empathizing with rAma and with his good in mind, lakshmaNa spoke –
“O mighty armed rAma, grieve not, the vast forest is laden with large number of caves. Along with me, try to find where sItA is. She is mad about the forest and loves to roam around. Or she must have gone to the lotus pond or the river filled with fish and reeds to take a dip. Or she could be just playing a prank on us and hiding somewhere in the forest to scare us a bit and test our love and resolve to find her. Therefore O rAma, let us go and scan the entire forest without delay, do not grieve”.
Thus earnestly spoken by lakshmaNa, rAma gathered himself and together they searched the entire forest, hills and the rivers. They looked for her on the mountain peaks and in the caves and found her nowhere. Having searched the entire region and not finding her, rAma felt desperate and told saumitri that he cannot find her anywhere. Searching for sItA in the danDaka forests, lakshmaNa assured his brilliant brother rAma that he will certainly prevail and secure sItA just as lord vishNu secured the entire earth by imprisoning king bali.
प्राप्स्यसि त्वं महाप्राज्ञ मैथिलीं जनकात्मजाम्।।3.61.24।।
यथा विष्णुर्महाबाहुर्बलिं बद्ध्वा महीमिमाम्।
Consoled thus by lakshmaNa, grief laden rAma piteously said that he has searched for sItA all over the forest, in the caves and the hills without quite getting an inkling of the lady who is dearer than his own life. rAma grieved and overpowered by the devastating grief of not finding sItA anywhere in the forest and terribly tormented, momentarily became unconscious. Then recovering his senses, he sobbed disconsolately and lamented “oh sItA, oh sItA”!
The dearest friend and well wisher lakshmaNa folded his hands and consoled rAma in a variety of ways and tried to offer hope. But rAma, unmindful and indifferent to any of the encouraging words of lakshmaNa was drowned in grief on account not being able to find his beloved sItA.
Here we conclude the sixty first sarga of the araNya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 3.62. Grief, unbearable
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 