Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty first sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Discarding the counsel to crown angada as the king of kishkindhA and fortify the fort further to defy sugrIva and mates, tArA ran all the way along with angada and fell at the feet of vAlI who was almost breathing his last. She embraced the fallen hero and lamented her misfortune as well as his dismissal of her wise counsel. She felt devastated that vAlI met this fate purely because of brushing aside her advise. And he brought upon her widowhood. But tArA found no fault with rAma. She was wise even in the time of such a personal calamity and saw that the stability of kishkindhA lay in righting the wrong that was done unto an innocent sugrIva. In that spirit, as much as she wept and wailed, she didn’t charge either sugrIva or rAma out of her frustration. sugrIva felt her pain as well. Onwards…
Approaching the crestfallen tArA who resembled a star fallen from the sky, hanumAn began to pacify her.
ततो निपतितां तारां च्युतां तारामिवाम्बरात्।
शनैराश्वासयामास हनुमान्हरियूथपः4.21.1।।
“By virtue of one’s own deeds, one incurs merit and demerit and gradually experiences the same after death.
शोच्या शोचसि कं शोच्यं दीनं दीनाऽनुकम्पसे।
कस्य कोवाऽनुशोच्योऽस्ति देहेऽस्मिन् बुद्बुदोपमे4.21.3।।
While you are yourself miserable, who are you worrying about? In fact who in this world is worth worrying while one’s body is like a water bubble? You have a surviving son in angada. You ought to plan about grooming him and his future.
जानास्यनियतामेवं भूतानामागतिं गतिम्।
तस्माच्छुभं हि कर्तव्यं पण्डितेनैह लौकिकम्।।4.21.5।।
You are well aware that the existence and the way of all beings is fleeting and uncertain. Therefore, at all times the wise only perform auspicious deeds. In whom millions of monkeys reposed their faith and accepted as their lord, who ruled justly, who practiced the three fold ways of conciliation, charity and forgiveness and has today ascended the heavens that are inherited by those who win righteously. Therefore you should not mourn the fall of such a great one. O woman of spotless character, angada, all the vAnaras and bears look up to you for protection. Please console the crestfallen duo of angada and sugrIva and lift their spirits. Under your protection, let angada rule the world. Now, let the duties to be performed by the heirs for the fallen king be done by your son angada. Let angada perform the last rites of the king and ascend throne after that. May your heart be at peace to see him ruling the earth”.
tArA, devastated by the fall of her husband, replied to hanumAn and said –
“I would rather embrace the body of this hero, even if he is dead, than tend to a hundred sons equal in valour to angada. And no, I am not the right person to take decisions about angada. That responsibility lies with sugrIva now. O hanuman, the decisions regarding the son need to be taken by the father and not the mother. Such thoughts need not be entertained. Rather than the proximity of the king of vAnaras (vAlI), there is nothing better for me either in this world or the other. This very place where he lies is fit for me now”.
Here we conclude the twenty first sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 4.22. vAlI’s valuable counsel and his end
Previous: 4.20. Wisdom in times of grief
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 