Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred seventeenth sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Prince bharata settled down in nandigrAma away from the luxuries of ayOdhyA, lost both in deep contemplation of rAma and in astute administration of the kingdom at the same time, submitting everything to rAma’s blessed sandals which represented him. There at chitrakUTa winds of change were blowing. The sanctuary of sages began witnessing unease and tumult. The sages looked at rAma somewhat differently and were not their usual selves in their conduct towards him. Wanting to make a clean breast of it, rAma meets the chancellor (kulapati, one who administers thousands of hermits) and wonders if there has been an inadvertent lapse in the conduct of either him or sItA or lakshmaNa towards them which raised eyebrows? The chancellor clears the air and rules out such a possibility with the committed trio. He then says the real reason is the increased attacks by the cannibalistic ogres of the demon khara who is rAvaNa’s brother. He further warns rAma that even they won’t spare attacking the trio. Therefore the chancellor says they have decided to move to relative safety and advises that they should do so too. Onwards…
As the sages moved away from the hermitages at the chitrakUTa, rAma did not enjoy his stay there any longer due to a variety of reasons. That was the place he was visited by bharata, the mothers and the citizens. The reminiscences were painful and haunted him. Further due to the pitching of the camps of the army, the place became dirty with the dung of the horses and elephants. Reflecting variously thus, rAma to set out from the leaf hut they had built so tastefully at the chitrakUTa. Soon they reached the hermitage of sage atri. The illustrious rAma prostrated at the feet of the sage and the old sage received him with the warm due for a son.
The sage conducted a ceremonial welcome to rAma, sItA and lakshmaNa and spoke to them sweetly and kindly. Then he called out the old lady anasUyA. his wife and introduced the trio. The old lady, a very picture of grace, staunchly dhArmic, ascetic and illustrious welcomed sItA. The sage then began to describe the peerless penance of his wife anasUyA.
“O rAma, once upon a time there was a great famine that swept the world for a decade. It was anasUyA who by virtue of her penance created fruits and roots and caused the flow of gangA. She had practiced severe, staunch and unflinching penance for ten thousand years and removed obstacles that were present in the path of sages and seekers. By virtue of her power of penance she could roll ten nights into one! She is the embodiment of such staunch penance. O rAma, she is like your mother. This lady by virtue of her virtuous deeds earned the name of anasUyA (free of jealousy) and is free from anger. Let sItA go and seek her blessings”.
To these words of the sage, rAma concurred. He looked at sItA, the righteous one and said, “O princess you just heard what the great sage said, please go and seek the blessings of mother anasUyA”.
sItA agreed and at once went to meet mother anasUyA. The old lady was feeble, had wrinkled skin, with fully greyed hair on top of her head and was trembling of ripe old age like the plantain tree would in the face of the wind. sItA fell at the feet of such a graceful woman, circumambulated her and greeted her by saying out her name aloud [it is customary to greet elders by specifying full details of one’s ancestry and name, called pravara]. Then with folded hands vaidEhi (sItA) enquired her wellness. Then mother anasUyA beheld sItA delightfully and spoke kindly –
“You are indeed blessed to be observing dharma. You are blessed to have given up your near and dear ones, comforts and wealth and following rAma in the forests. Those women who are true to their husbands irrespective of whether he is in a city or forests, irrespective of his present condition, for them the higher worlds are assured. Such women don’t weigh whether the husband is of poor conduct or licentious or is bereft of wealth and are always committed to them unconditionally. By my experience I cam tell you that there cannot be dearer relation to the woman than her husband. Like the imperishable result of a well done penance, once acquired he is always yours.
नातो विशिष्टं पश्यामि बान्धवं विमृशन्त्यहम्।
सर्वत्र योग्यं वैदेहि तपः कृतमिवाव्ययम्।।2.117.24।।
And those women that conduct themselves without these virtues and commitment, mind polluted by lustful desires only, commanding over their husbands are derailed from the right path. The heaven is carved out for women such as you who discriminate diligently between virtue and vice in this world
Therefore O vaidEhi, may you faithfully follow rAma under all circumstances. Be the righteous partner of your husband and earn fame.
तदेवमेनं त्वमनुव्रता सती पतिव्रतानां समयानुवर्तिनी।
भव स्वभर्तु स्सहधर्मचारिणी यशश्च धर्मं च तत स्समाप्स्यसि।।2.117.28।।
Here we conclude the one hundred seventeenth sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 2.118. Of grace and a trip down the memory lane
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 