King Rama on the throne, the court is held in glory.
Bharata, Shatrughna and Lakshmana were in attendance to serve him.
Hanuman pressed Rama’s feet. Sugriva stood by humbly.
Tumbura and Narada sang and Rambha and her troop danced.
Sanaka and other great sages discoursed on high disciplines.
All the gods were pleased and flowers rained from the sky.
Sita took a look at all the people present.
She looked at her husband and joined her hands in prayer.
“God of gods, listen, I have an appeal to make to you.
When we were going to the forest, when your brother Lakshmana followed us,
Urmila was ready to go with him, but he said she should not go.
The woman went to sleep beginning from that very day.
Now Lakshmana should go to her. You should ask him to go to her.”
When Rama heard what Sita said, he felt sad for Urmila.
He called Lakshmana close, and said: “Is it proper to leave
your wife alone? Go to your dear wife. And talk
lovingly to her, and make her forget her grief.”
Lakshmana was pleased and quickly left the court.
He went past many doors and many wide courtyards.
He went to his own palace, where Urmila was sleeping,
He entered his room and saw the woman in deep sleep.
He bent over the bed and fixed her sari and sash,
He sat by her side and talked to her, she was
dearer to him than his own life: “Woman,” he said,
“The moon is nothing before your face, and betel misses your lips,
Speak your words, sweet like nectar, and cool my parched soul.
Your feet are soft like lotuses, wake up and wear gold on them.”
Urmila shivered in her sleep and said, “Who are you, sir? And why are you here?
You dared to be so brash, you dared to commit a wrong.
Prowling through alleys and lanes, you came to grab me alone.
If my father Janaka hears of this, he will punish you, count on it.
If king Rama hears of this, your life will be in severe danger.
If my sister’s brother-in-law hears of this, he will not let you live.
My great family’s name is tarnished now, helpless me, what can I do?
The family of my birth is blemished now, helpless me, what can I do?
Because he went after another man’s wife, Indra has an ugly body.
Because he went after another man’s wife, Ravana was killed and his kingdom was lost.
You know these well-known stories, and still you are intent on this.
Don’t you have a sister like me, and aren’t you born of a mother?”
As Urmila went on talking, Lakshmana said to her in grief.
“I am Rama’s brother.”
“Never heard of that name.”
“I am Janaka’s son-in-law.”
“Who on earth is he?”
“You are like my goddess of wealth, I am Sita’s brother-in-law.”
“What are you talking about, and who is Sita, anyway?”
“You are Urmila, aren’t you? Don’t you tell me a lie.
Aren’t I Sita’s brother-in-law? Kindly wake up from sleep.
And know something else, Sita was taken away.
She was separated from us; we had to fight a battle for her.
We had to kill Ravana to bring the woman back.
If you don’t accept me, my beauty, people will speak badly of me.
From the day I left you in the city, I have neither eaten nor slept.
If you do not accept me, I will not live any longer.”
Lakshmana took the sword from his sheath. He was ready to kill himself.
As he spoke with tears in his eyes, Urmila was startled and woke up scared.
She saw it was her husband, and her mind became clear.
She fell on his feet and bowed to him. He picked her up in love
and wiped the tears from her face.
“My father was naive in giving me to you,” she said,
“He didn’t know the truth. He thought you were a proud man
and was blissfully happy for you. But in fact,
you have your mind elsewhere, you belittle your own wife.”
Lakshmana knew her mind and felt sad.
“I’ve barely survived without you all these fourteen years.
I neither ate nor slept, it’s true, I’ll take an oath on you.
We probably separated a good couple in some past life.
And we have suffered for that now. No point in worrying.
What we did in the past has to be paid for in this life.”
Kaushalya saw the distressed couple and gave them a relaxing bath.
She dressed Urmila in a soft silk sari and a shining golden blouse.
She gave her jewels and ornaments and dressed Lakshmana too.
She made a white and orange mark on Lakshmana’s handsome face.
When they saw themselves in a mirror, Urmila bent her head and smiled.
Prince Lakshmana sat like the king of gods on a seat of pearls.
Shanta led Urmila to his side and she came walking gently.
Her face was bent in shyness while the bells on her feet jingled.
Sumitra made her sit next to Lakshmana and she served them on golden plates
five delicious dishes and gave them ghee from silver bowls.
Shanta said to Lakshmana, “Eat well my brother, in the company of your wife,
free from the fatigue of the forest, where you neither ate nor slept.
Enjoy the delicious dishes specially made for you,
and curds and buttermilk, as much as you want.”
They ate their fill, and washed their hands, and sat chewing betel.
“Some one here has slept for fourteen years in a row,”
Shanta teased Urmila, calling on Sita to listen.
“We don’t know where she had stashed away this golden glow of her face.
We should make a dark offering to the gods to ward off the evil eye.”
“It’s your handsome brothers,” said Sita, “that need such an offering, not us.”
“They rule the whole world, and their moon-like faces
make the world fall in love with them.”
“No,” said Shanta, “Your four sisters made my brothers
fall in love with them. You are skilled at such things, so we need
to ward off the evil eye from harming your lovely faces.”
Now Sita said in return,
“You made my brother Rishyasringa fall for your charms and games.
He was a totally innocent man performing his austerities in the forest.”
Shanta quickly retorted,
“You were the goddess of wealth born on the lotus in heaven
but you didn’t want to stay there and came to live in our house.
We are lucky you are here.”
“We are lucky you are here, too.” Sita said to Shanta.
Sumitra made a bed of down for her son who had returned from the forest.
She made soft silk pillows and sprinkled rose water on them.
A maid set up fans made of cool vatti straw,
sandal paste and musk, punugu and javvadi in cups.
There were betel leaves, areca nuts and pearl-lime as well.
As the breeze gently blew over the sweet champak flowers
they closed the doors of the bedroom.
As the breeze from the jasmine bushes blew in through the window,
the couple sat on their bed.
Lakshmana loosened Urmila’s hair, which was tightly made into a bun
and skillfully braided it, and put jaji flowers in it.
Chewing the betel leaves, the couple sat talking to each other.
“How did that happen?” asked Urmila. “How was my sister taken away?
When you were there, stronger than a lion, how was my sister taken away?”
Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaika sat on raised seats.
Shanta was with them too, and they didn’t make a sound.
“When Rama and you were there, how was my sister taken away?”
“Fate is impossible to avoid, even for the creator god.
We left Ayodhya and lived in the forest in a hut of leaves we built.
A golden magic deer came near the doorstep of our hut.
Your sister wanted that deer and begged Rama to bring it to her.
Rama went with his bow and arrows and went out to hunt the deer.
He hit the animal with his bow when it made a strange cry.
It cried, ‘Haa, Sita, haa, Lakshmana!’ Sita was frightened and said:
‘Go to help Rama.’ And I said ‘Mother, I should not go.’
She spoke words sharp as arrows that pierced my ears and hurt me.
I drew a line around her, a command that none should cross it.
I left to help my brother. Then Ravana came in disguise
and stood in front of the hut calling out god’s name.
Thinking he was a servant of god, Sita came out to give him food.
She saw his ten heads, and fell down unconscious.
Ravana took her away, lifting her with the earth on which she stood.
When Rama returned to the hut holding the golden deer
we searched for her all over, in the forest and the entire hut,
but didn’t find a trace of her and we became very tired.
We went over to Kishkindha, and Sugriva gave gifts to Rama.
Because he was Kaushalya’s son, he had such respect for him.
Rama opened the gifts and saw Sita’s jewels among them.
‘Brother Lakshmana, come,’ he said and showed the jewels to me.
I had never seen those jewels, but I recognized her anklets.
I saw them every day when I bowed to her at sunrise.
Rama called Hanuman and gave his ring to him.
He told him how Sita looks and sent him to search for her.
Hanuman crossed the ocean, searched the Ashoka garden.
He gave Sita the ring.
He talked to her.
He took her crest-jewel
and came back fast and stood before Rama.
‘How could I bring your wife? Tell me.
Her hair is all matted and a bamboo grows in her belly.
I couldn’t bear to see her, nor think of her condition now.’
When Hanuman said this grieving, Rama fell unconscious.
Rama invaded Lanka and destroyed Ravana and his army.
He asked Sita to be brought to his presence,
beautifully dressed.
When she was brought to him, he said,
‘She lived in captivity for ten months, I cannot talk to her.’
‘What good are words of truth, make a fire for me,’ said Sita.
From a fire blazing high as the sky, my sister-in-law talked.
The fire was cool to her, like she was bathing in a lake.
Because she was chaste, my sister-in-law came back.
Sita and Rama are now on the throne of Ayodhya.”
Thus, Lakshmana told the story of all the troubles they had suffered.
Then the sisters talked of Sita’s hardships in captivity.
“Now you have heard what kind of a mind our Man with the Wheel has?”
“Look,” they said to each other, “Our sister had to live
away from her handsome husband in that horrible forest
imprisoned by that sinful demon
for ten months in Lanka.”
They all agreed that there is no point
in regretting what had happened.
They praised Rama and Sita,
who were installed on the throne.
This is the song of Urmila’s separation.
Anyone who sings or hears it
Lakshmana gives them the world of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment