Part - 13

When the Lord of Raghus saw His younger brother coming, He outwardly expressed much concern. “Alas! You have left Janaka’s daughter alone and come here against my instructions. Hosts of demons are roaming about in the forest; I, therefore, suspect Sītā is not at the hermitage.” Lakṣmaṇa clasped Śrī Rāma’s lotus feet and replied with joined palms, “Lord, it is no fault of mine.” Accompanied by His younger brother, the Lord went back to His hermitage on the bank of the Godāvarī. When He saw the hermitage bereft of Janaka’s Daughter, He felt as perturbed and afflicted as any common man. " Alas! Sītā, Janaka’s daughter, the very mine of virtues, of such flawless beauty, character, austerity and devotion!" Lakṣmaṇa consoled Him in many ways. He questioned all the creepers and trees (that stood on the way ) as He went along (in search of Her): " O birds and deer, O string of bees, have you seen the fawn-eyed Sītā? The wagtail, the parrot, the pigeon, the deer, the fish, the swarms of bees, the clever cuckoo, the jasmine buds, the pomegranate, the lightning, the lotus, the autumnal moon, the gliding serpent, the noose of Varuṇa (the god of water), the bow of Cupid, the swan, the elephant and the lion now hear themselves praised. The Bilva fruit and the gold banana rejoice and do not feel the least misgiving or bashfulness Listen, Janaka’s daughter : in your absence today they are all glad as if they have got a Kingdom. How can you bear such rivalry? Why do you not reveal yourself quickly, my darling?" In this way the Lord searched and lamented like an uxorious husband sore smitten with pangs of separation. Śrī Rāma, who is Bliss personified and has all His wishes accomplished, and who is both unborn and immortal, behaved like a mortal. Further on they saw the king of vultures lying, with his thoughts fixed on Śrī Rāma’s feet which bear characteristic marks on their soles.†

• Śrī Rāma here well-nigh exhausts the list of birds and beasts as well as of inanimate objects to which Indian poets usually liken the limbs of a charming lady. Of these the eyes are compared to the fish and the wagtail as well as to the eyes of a fawn, the nose to the parrot’s beak, the neck to that of the pigeon, the curly hair to a swarm of bees, the voice to the notes of a cuckoo, the teeth to the jasmine buds and the seeds of the pomegranate, the complexion to the lightning, the eyes and the face as well as the hand and feet to the lotus, the face to the autumnal moon, the braid of hair hanging on the back to a gliding serpent, the smile to the noose of Varuṇa, the eyebrows to Cupid’s bow, the gait to that of the swan and the elephant, the waist to that of the lion, the breasts to the Bilva fruit and the thigh to the gold banana. The idea here is that though models of beauty so far as earthly women are concerned, none of these analogues stood comparison with Sītā’s limbs and hence they dare not face the latter out of shame. Now that Sītā was no more to be seen, they all regained their supremacy and exulted over their good fortune.

• † The scriptures mention 48 marks on the soles of the Lord’s feet, 24 on each. Those on the left are: (1) a vertical line (Urdhvarekhā), (2) a Svastika, (3) an Aṣṭakoṇa ( a figure consisting of a pair of squares intersecting each other), (4) Goddess Lakṣmī (represented by a golden coil describing two and a half concentric circles), (5) a plough, (6) a pestle, (7) a figure of Śeṣa (the serpent-god), (8) an arrow, (9) the sky (represented by a cipher), (10) a lotus, (11) a chariot, (12) a thunderbolt, (13) a grain of barley, (14) the wish-yielding tree in heaven, (15) a goad, (16) a flag, (17) a crown, (18) the discus ( Sudarśana), (19) a throne, (20) the staff of Yama (the god of death), (21) a chowrie, (22) an umbrella, (23) a human figure and (24) a wreath of victory (placed by a bride round the neck of the suitor of her choice); while those borne on the right sole are: (1) the river Sarayū, (2) a cow’s hoof, (3) the earth, (4) a pitcher, (5) a small flag, (6) a Jambu fruit (the black plum), (7) the crescent, (8) a conchshell, (9) a Ṣaṭkoṇa ( a figure consisting of a pair of triangles intersecting each other), (10) a triangle, (11) a mace, (12) a Jīva or the individual soul (represented by a point illustrating its atomic size), (13) Vindu ( a point) and (14) Śakti ( represented by a semi-circle and forming the base of the Vindu), (15) a reservoir of nectar, (16) three horizontal lines like the folds of the belly, (17) a fish, (18) the full-moon, (19) a lute, (20) a flute, (21) a bow, (22) a quiver, (23) a swan and (24) an ornament for the head of a lady. It should be remembered here that Śrī Sītā also bears the same marks in Her soles, with this difference that the marks on Śrī Rāma’s right sole are borne by Sītā on Her left and vice-versa.

A Brāhmaṇa, even though he curse you, beat you or speak harsh words to you, is still worthy of adoration: so declare the saints. A Brāhmaṇa must be respected, though lacking in amiability and virtue; not so a Śūdra, though possessing a host of virtues and rich in knowledge." The Lord instructed Kabandha in His own cult ( the cult of Devotion) and was delighted at heart to see his devotion to His feet. Having regained his original form (that of a Gandharva ) he bowed his head to the lotus feet of Śrī Rāma (the Lord of Raghus) and ascended to the heaven. Having conferred on him his own (Gandharva) state the beneficent Rāma repaired to the hermitage of Śabarī. When Śabarī saw that Śrī Rāma had called at her abode, she recalled the words of the sage (Matanga)† and was glad of heart. With lotus-like eyes, long arms, a tuft of matted hair adorning their head like a crown and a garland of wild flowers hanging upon their breast, the two brothers looked most charming-the one dark of hue and the other fair; Śabarī fell prostrate and embraced their feet. She was so owerwhelmed with love that no words came to her lips. Again and again she bowed her head at their lotus feet. Presently she look some water and reverently laved their feet and then conducted them to a seat of honour.

• Śabarī was known by the name of the wild tribe (Śabaras) to which she belonged. Though low-born, she had already acquired some celebrity for her piety and devotion; hence the poet has chosen to call her abode a hermitage ( a name generally applied to the abode of sages and hermits). This can easily serve as an illustration of the catholicity of the great Hindu religion, which, though rigid in social matters, does not fail to give proper recognition to individual merit and virtue. The whole of this episode is a great eye-opener in this respect.

• † From other sources it can be gathered that the sage, who was Śabarī’s own Guru, had predicted to her, on the eve of his demise long before, that the Lord would visit her. It is this prediction of the sage that has been referred to above.