Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty third sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
While the abducted sItA was kept in captivity in the aSoka grove in lanka and was weeping out of disunion with rAma but was stern and brave beyond what was expected of a woman, rAma, the mighty one was absolutely devastated and wept inconsolably because of not finding sItA. His worst fears and anxieties were getting stronger every moment he didn’t find her. He tried to tell himself that his fears were untrue and that sItA was playing peek-a-boo with them. He hallucinated seeing her behind the trees and in other places. He spoke with her as if she was in ear shot. In brief, he was mad in losing her. He was not in control of himself. Brother lakshmaNa tried to pacify him and encourage him to carry out the search and also assured him that they will prevail in finding her no matter where she is. rAma would be indifferent to any solace or hope offered to him. He almost made up his mind to stay back in the forest and decay rather than go back to ayOdhyA without sItA. He was so deeply upset that even lakshmaNa was terrified and clueless briefly. rAma continued to lament… Onwards…
The prince rAma, bereft of his beloved wife sItA, saw his brother also in distress and in sorrow and delusion became terribly pensive in the ocean of grief and said these words to him shedding warm and copious tears –
“O lakshmaNa, there must not be another person in the world who has indulged in as many bad deeds as I have. Surely, earlier I must have committed many unrighteous deeds more than once. As a consequence of that alone I am entering into the phases of grief again and again and my heart and mind are pierced by sorrow devastating me.
O lakshmaNa, losing the kingdom, kith and kin, missing my mother – all these enhance my sorrow presently. In sItA’s company when I came to the forest, all these sorrows had subsided but with her loss, all these have resurfaced with more power just like the sleeping fire in the logs is rekindled.
सर्वं तु दुःखं मम लक्ष्मणेदं शान्तं शरीरे वनमेत्य शून्यम्।
सीतावियोगात्पुनरप्युदीर्णं काष्ठैरिवाग्निस्सहसा प्रदीप्तः।।3.63.6।।
As she was being abducted, the noble and beloved of mine must have been terribly frightened and cried out again and again in feeble voice. The copper complexioned beloved of mine with her beautiful bosom must be blood soaked now and not pleasing to behold. Her lovely countenance, gentle speech and captivating curls might not as bright in the captivity of demons just like the moon under the spell of rAhu. Alas, the beautiful neck that adorned many a jewelry must have been broken open by the blood thirsty demons to drink her blood. Without me by her side, as she was being dragged out by the demons to abduct her, she might have cried out loud like the female osprey bird.
Remember this rock lakshmaNa, this is where the lovely lady sat earlier and made many a conversation with you. This gOdAvarI, the greatest among rivers is really dear to my beloved. Would she have gone there? But I do not remember she going alone ever to the river. Or could the lotus like lovely lady have gone to fetch the lotus? That cannot be as she never ventures without me to fetch those. Or could she have gone to the forest gardens laced with variety of flora. That also seems unlikely to me as she is too scared to venture out alone into the forest.
आदित्य भो लोककृताकृतज्ञ लोकस्य सत्यानृतकर्मसाक्षिन्।
मम प्रिया सा क्व गता हृता वा शंसस्व मे शोकवशस्य नित्यम्।।3.63.16।।
Oh Aditya (Sun god), you are the witness of both the good and bad that everyone does as you know for sure who is doing what. Please tell this grieving me about whether my beloved has been abducted or where has she gone.
O vAyu (wind god), there is nothing in the world that is not touched by you and in which you do not reside. Please tell me where the noble woman is, whether she is dead or abducted or is elsewhere”.
Thus grieving unceasingly rAma lost his senses for a while. When he recovered, the brave lakshmaNa uttered encouraging words that are appropriate to the time –
शोकं विमुञ्चार्य धृतिं भजस्व सोत्साहता चास्तु विमार्गणेऽस्याः।
उत्साहवन्तो हि नरा न लोके सीदन्ति कर्मस्वतिदुष्करेषु।।3.63.19।।
“Be free from sorrow, Oh noble one, be courageous and enthusiastically search for her. The enthusiastic ones in the world do not desist from the most difficult of deeds in this world”.
As lakshmaNa tried to cheer up rAma and make him enthusiastic to search for sItA, rAma did not pay much attention and losing his courage entered in to sorrow again and again.
Here we conclude the sixty third 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: 3.64. rAma set to unleash his wrath!
Previous: 3.62. Grief, unbearable
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
