“O brahmana, be seated at your comfort on this kusha mat. Please accept this water for washing your feet. Ready for you is this food which is the best grown in the forest. Without hesitation, please eat.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana in the guise of an ascetic, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 46.35)

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इयं बृसी ब्राह्मण काममास्यतामिदं च पाद्यं प्रतिगृह्यतामिति
इदं च सिद्धं वनजातमुत्तमं त्वदर्थमव्यग्रमिहोपभुज्यताम्

iyaṃ bṛsī brāhmaṇa kāmamāsyatāmidaṃ ca pādyaṃ pratigṛhyatāmiti
idaṃ ca siddhaṃ vanajātamuttamaṃ tvadarthamavyagramihopabhujyatām

“Reflecting upon the incident of the Rakshasa named Ravana taking away Sita Devi by force, in the forest of Dandaka, I cannot help but consider the level of kindness in that daughter of King Janaka. She was so kind and hospitable. She believed the visitor to be a genuine brahmana. Someone travelling for the purpose of helping others. They were a parivrajaka mendicant; at least based on the visuals.

“Well, we see how that hospitality was rewarded. There was not a return of favor. Rather, the imposter took advantage of the kindness that the goddess of fortune has for the brahmana community. It is the worst kind of exploitation, if you think about it. How low do you have to be to carry out something like that? It was premeditated. It was carefully orchestrated, with the help of the soon-deceased advisor named Maricha.

“I hate that it has come to this, but should we be more skeptical of people society otherwise considers saintly? In many countries around the world you have to pass through a metal detector in order to conduct general commerce, like going to a shopping mall or checking into a hotel. Don’t even start with the airports. The harassment is so much that many people avoid flying, if they can.

“But these are the realities of life. The precautions arose out of past misfortunes. Bad experiences. Trust that turned out to be a mistake. Just think of how many spiritual leaders today are fake. They do the worst things to children. They exploit the disciples. They take advantage of vulnerable populations. Wouldn’t it be safer to assume that everyone is like Ravana?”

बेष बिसद बोलनि मधुर मन कटु करम मलीन
तुलसी राम न पाइऐ भएँ बिषय जल मीन

beṣa bisada bolani madhura mana kaṭu karama malīna
tulasī rāma na pāiai bhae~ biṣaya jala mīna

“If a person has the dress of a sadhu and speaks sweet words but is bitter and unclean in their mind and deeds, then Tulsi says they have no prayer of attaining Shri Rama, as they are like the fish stuck in the dark ocean of material sense objects.” (Dohavali, 153)

The issue is that it is difficult to go against one’s own nature. If I have spent considerable time around genuine saintly people, I will appreciate them so much. I will recognize the difficult choices made and the sacrifices taken, all so that more people can hear the message of the Divine. If not for such risktakers, how would the succession of instruction continue? The knowledge as it is would appear to be lost, requiring someone like Krishna to teach someone like Arjuna.

एवं परम्परा-प्राप्तम्
इमं राजर्षयो विदुः
स कालेनेह महता
योगो नष्टः परन्तप

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā
yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa

“This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.2)

Rather than artificially forcing the mind into a crow-like stance, we can heed the warnings from that historical incident. What was the long-term result to that deception? Did Sita Devi really lose out? Was there not total destruction, as she had herself predicted for the ajitendriyah Ravana?

अवश्यं विनशिष्यन्ति सर्वे रावण राक्षसाः
येषां त्वं कर्कशो राजा दुर्बुद्धिरजितेन्द्रियः

avaśyaṃ vinaśiṣyanti sarve rāvaṇa rākṣasāḥ
yeṣāṃ tvaṃ karkaśo rājā durbuddhirajitendriyaḥ

“O Ravana, inevitably all of the Rakshasas will be completely destroyed, for they have a person like you, who is stupid, lustful, and unable to control his senses, for their king.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 48.22)

Did Ravana make meaningful advancement through that cheating? He was essentially living a lie. There is the saying that a guilty conscience needs no accuser. If you know that you are on the wrong path, the mind will torment you. If you know that you have done something wrong, time lurks in the background, torturing you with its ticking until the eventual arrival of the due punishment. Such torture might be worse than the punishment itself.

अवश्यं लभते जन्तुः फलं पापस्य कर्मणः
घोरं पर्यागते काले द्रुमाः पुष्पमिवार्तवम्

avaśyaṃ labhate jantuḥ phalaṃ pāpasya karmaṇaḥ
ghoraṃ paryāgate kāle drumāḥ puṣpamivārtavam

“Just as a tree starts to blossom during the proper season, so the doer of sinful deeds inevitably reaps the horrible fruit of their actions at the appropriate time.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.8)

The kindness extended by the beloved wife of Shri Rama is always endearing to hear. Her outlook did not change as a result of the bitter experience. Sita was just as generous in distributing benedictions to the dedicated Hanuman. She is always fond of giving gifts to the people focused on worshiping her husband. The positive side always outshines the negative, like the bright moon shining light during the dark night. This is hope for those aspiring for perfection in the human existence.

यदि जीवति सा देवी ताराधिपनिभानना
आगमिष्यति साऽवश्यमिमां शिवजलां नदीम्

yadi jīvati sā devī tārādhipanibhānanā
āgamiṣyati sā’vaśyamimāṃ śivajalāṃ nadīm

“If that devi, who has a face that resembles the lord of stars, the moon, still lives, then certainly she will come to this river of auspicious water.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 14.51)

In Closing:

Even when in forest to reside,
True nature could not hide.

Welcome to brahmana extending,
Though only Ravana pretending.

Offering the best to eat,
And grass of kusha seat.

Same trouble still with false dress,
But the genuine by Sita blessed.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana, sannyasa