Post 5
Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
We are continuing our discussions whether seethaa is powerful or has
the capacity to burn or kill raavaNa on her own without waiting for
raamaa. One more instance or fact comes to mind to prove her power.
She controls the basic elements ? the pancha boothams ? using which
brahma did create all living and non-living ones. Though seethaa is
also born out of earth, she commands another pancha bootham, the
fire, to change his basic nature of heat and turning everything to
ashes. `Hey, leave out your basic character and be different as per
my directions - be cool to my person ? hanumaan'.
Later the very same fire had to bring her back and hand over to raama
with a certificate of "she is a blemish-less character". The
title `ordeal by fire' of sri sadagopan iyengar of coimbatore,
perhaps, has to be changed here as `ordeal to fire', I think, for he
has to obey on one hand to raavaNa, another to seethaa, and then to
raama in providing that certificate duly attested by him.
When seethaa was informed about hanumaan's tail has been lit with
fire by tying lot of waste ropes and cloth, she approaches fire
saying, `hey agni, be cool to hanuman'. That also with lot of preset
conditions like "If I am -- ". See the slOkams
vaidhEhee sOkasanthapthaa huthaasanam upaagamath | 5 ?53-26
meaning: seethaa, with a lot of sorrow, approached fire ? [means
firegod].
upathasthE visaalaakshee prayathaa havyavaahanam |
yadhyasthi pathi susrooshaa yadhyasthi charitham thapa: |
yadhi vaa thvEka pathneethvam seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5- 53- 27
meaning: That broad eyed seethaa requested the holy fire by
saying, "if I have served my husband sincerely, I am true in my
character, if my husband is a Eka pthnee vratha ? having one wife
only - and he has good intentions on me, then be cool to hanumaan.
yadhi kinchith anukRosasthasya mayyasthi dheematha: |
yadhi vaa bhaagya sEshO mE seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 ? 53 -28
meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that highly intelligent raama is a
little compassionate on me and I have luck enough for unification
with him [luck enough for me to join my husband]
yadhi maam vruththa sampannaam thath samaagama laalasaam |
savijaanaathi dharmaathmaa seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 ?53 - 29
meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that raama thinks me as full of good
nature or character, and as one always seeking union with my husband.
yadhi maama thaarayEdhaarya: sugreeva: sathyasangara: |
asmaadh dhu:khaambusamrODhaath seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 ? 53 -30
meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that king sugreevan is truthful to
his words of releasing me from this ocean of sorrow of separation
from my husband.
Point: 1. Seethaa threw so many `if and buts' to that fire god.
Perhaps he would have simply obeyed even if it were only one point.
He could not think of any evasion since there were so many
interlinked ones.
2. Further one argument can be advanced by some one who knows about
raaVanan's capacities better ? hey, this agni, vaayu, and rain, et
al obey orders of raavaNa also and they serve him with equal or more
obedience. Then how can you say seethaa is powerful to bring fire
into obedience? Agreed, accepted. But there is one basic difference.
RaavaNa is able to command these pancha boothams to be `obedient'
only ? hey vaayu ? be slow, be cool etc. That is all vaayu's nature ?
sometimes to be hot, sometimes cool, sometimes fierce, some times
very comfortable and soothing. Fire to burn slowly or fast as per
command. Rain to be intermittent giving comfort and not causing a
nuisance etc. But these pancha boothaas, basic elements, did not
change their basic characteristics in their subservience to raavaNan.
Rain did not become hot water or fire did not become cool.
But seethaa commands ? upaagamath says vaalmeeki ? meaning -
approached ? is it a pleading for a concession ? NO ? an order to
change the very basic characteristic. Fire's nature is hot and
burning things to turn them as ash ? but here the request is - be
cool - and he also did it obediently. So there is a lot of difference
even in that obedience. Means his very natural characteristics
changed at the behest of a more powerful personality than raavaNa ?
seethaa.
When she can command one of the pancha boothams viz. fire, to change
his basic nature of burning everything or being unbearably hot and to
be cool to one particular person, which he also obeys without
hesitation, that itself shows who she is, and what power she has
to `control' even the basic elements by changing their nature to
something different. Then, will it be difficult for her to eliminate
raavaNa on her own without waiting for raamaa?
Let us see one more point from Sree vachaNa bhooshaNam ? 80 -
upaayathukku piraattyum ?dhroupadhiyaiyum ?thiruk kaNNa mangai
aaNdaanaiyum pOlE irukka vENum.
Meaning: For upaayam one should be like piraatti ? dhroupadi ? thriuk
kaNNa mangai aaNdaan.
piraattikkum dhroupadhikkum vaasee sakthiyum asakthiyum -81.
Meaning: The main difference between piraatti and dhroupadhi is
their 'powers and helplessness'- `sakthiyum / asakthiyum'.
piraatti swa - sakthiyai vittaaL, dhroupadhi lajjaiyai vittaaL - 82
meaning: 'piraatti shed all Her powers, sakthi; while dhroupadhi shed
all her shyness. Sri seethaa piraatti shed all her powers and waited
for her lord sree raamaa. Thus though one may have powers oneself, it
is the nature of jeevaathmaa to wait for the almighty to take action.
The vyaakyanam by Sri MaNavaaLa maamunikaL clearly explains the
following.
'thathasya sathrusam bhavEth' enRirundha piraatti - She waited for
Sri raamaa to demolish the enemies. What were Her powers? 'seethO
bhava' i.e She had the powers to make fire like water and
also 'thakdhO bhava' to reduce the enemies into ashes.
However, she did not use Her powers which is explained 'piraatti sva
sakthiyai vittaaL'. This is illustrated from the inaction of seethaa
piraatti. Piraatti was all-powerful. However, she preferred to be
docile. Further, She is powerful on 2 counts.
1. She is an elevated soul - dheiva aNangu.
2. She is chastity personified ? kaRpukku arasi
Both the aforementioned factors make her powerful. Despite this she
did not invoke her powers, as is the wont of jeevaathmaa.
Thanks to sri vaanamaamalai padmanabhan swamy for the points from
sree vachana bhooshaNam.
Dear bhakthaas, by now, I think, the other two questions "is she also
afraid to face Ravana? What are the reasons why she could not save
herself and reach her Lord feet Shri Ramachandra?" are also answered,
in that "thruNam" comments, and as above. As such I conclude this
topic "is she capable or is she powerful" on the krishNa jayanthi
day. Thanks for your patience and all comments / points against and
for are welcome.
Dhaasan
Vasudevan m.g
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