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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00077 Jul 2006

 
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Post 2

Dear Sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

On my question of whether any reference from vaalmeeki is available on 
seethaa's 'educational level', our respected sri krishnamacharya swamin of 
Chicago replied, through the Sree Vishnu sahasra naamam commentary on the 
naamam 'Om maadhavaaya nama:'. Many thanks are due to him for imparting such a 
beautiful commentary on that sweet naama of the lord.

 

What I actually wanted is a reference slokam, which states seethaa is learned 
in such and such aspects. Perhaps sage vaalmeeki is not able to limit himself 
that way, that she knows this, this, etc. And as such through her own mouth 
puts the following. 

 

Reference 1.

anusishTaa asmi maathraa cha pithraa cha vividha aashrayam |
na asmi samprathi vakthavyaa varthithavyam yathaa mayaa || 2-27-9

 

meaning: seethaa is talking to raama, and says, 'My mother and father taught me 
of 'different matters' long ago. I need not be told now, how to deal in any way 
with anyone.

 

Point: This is an angry reply to raama, when he said, 'you stay here in 
ayodhyaa and let me go to forest alone'. That strong reaction, in putting 
across of having learnt many things - vividha aashrayam - from parents, comes 
out very confidently. Also please note that 'vividha aashrayam - different 
matters'. This is the first reference of vaalmeeki on seethaa, expressing that 
she has learnt many things from parents.

 

2. Now the second reference - See how she reacts to raama - again in the course 
of same round of discussion - of raama asking her to stay and she saying 'I 
will accompany you to the forest'.  

 

See here seethaa saying, 'hey, you only taught me something - now you want me 
to go against your own teaching'.

 

pathi heenaa thu yaa naaree na saa sakshyathi jeevithum |
kaamam Evam vidham raama thvayaa mama vidharsitham || 2-29-7

 

meaning: Oh Raama! Verily such a thing was taught to me by you, that a woman 
disunited from her husband could not be able to survive."

 

Point: Here that 'vidharsitham' means 'gave knowledge or imparted knowledge or 
caused to see or caused to understand'. So the next reference on seethaa's 
learning is 'Learning from husband raama' - who is a 'j~naana upasampanna:' as 
seen in earlier post. 

 

Perhaps a doubt can be raised on the 'time period available for the couple' for 
such a learning, from husband raama to seethaa. As already repeatedly stated in 
other writeups, - seethaa says to raavaNan, 'I and my husband enjoyed life in 
ayodhyaa for 12 years, in the 13th year only the proposal for coronation came 
up'. Why I repeat this is - in the course of the flow of raamaayaNam story, 
many in the upanyaasams miss the time aspects.  So there was ample time for her 
to learn a lot from raama. Also considering that he was around 16 and she was a 
'kanyaa' - around 10 years in age - at the time of marriage of raama & seethaa 
- that 12 years of living together would definitely have given a lot of 
opportunities of learning.  

 

Reference 3.

karishyE sarvam Eva aham aaryaa yadh anusaasthi maam |
abhij~naa asmi yathaa bharthur varthithavyam srutham cha mE || 2-39-27

 

meaning: seethaa says to her mother in law kousalya, when they are about to 
leave to forest and mother in law tendering some advices to seethaa, 'I shall 
do just all that, as your venerable self instructs me. I know how I should 
behave towards my husband. I have also heard about it earlier."

 

Point: This is another set of learning - from mother in law. Perhaps the 
instructions from a senior person need not be taken as 'learning' but as 
advices or suggestions. 

 

But 'how to live and behave in a different place and that too when young couple 
is alone' just cannot be brushed aside as NOT a learning in one's life. Please 
note here seethaa saying, 'I have heard these earlier also' - That also means 
'I learnt these things earlier itself'. And now here reaction can be taken as, 
'oh dear mother, I learnt this already, anyhow for reminding these once again 
or making me to recall that learning, thank you'. 

 

May be what she said in first reference as different matters include this also, 
and from her parents. And she says, 'now once again I assure you I will behave 
according to that knowledge and presently your instructions'. 

 

The subject here is about the husband being the important person for a wife and 
she has to behave well to him - that too when they are in the forest alone - 
not in the supervision of the elders etc. May be the situation can be construed 
as when the present day young couple goes for 'thanik kudiththanam', the 
parents giving advices to the young ones on 'how to live on own without the 
supervision of elders'. 

 

What kowsalyaa said is also worth sharing with the elite audience of the lists. 
Hence here it is --

saadhveenaam hi sthithaanaam thu seelE sathyE sruthE samE |
sthreeNaam pavithram paramam pathi: EkO visishyathE || 2-39-24

 

meaning: Kousalyaa tells seethaa, 'But, for women established in 

§         good conduct, 

§         truthfulness, 

§         sacred learning and 

§         mental quietness, 

their husband alone is the most sacred entity, the best of all.

 

Reference 4: seethaa informs anasooya the sage wife of the great 'athri' 
maharshi - on that great message given to her by her mother in law - 

 

aagachChanthyaa: cha vijanam vanam Evam bhaya aavaham |
samaahitham hi mE svasraa hrudhayE yath sthitham mahath || 2-118-7

 

meaning: While departing for the lonely and fearful forest, my mother-in-law 
imparted a great message to me, which I have inscribed in my heart."

 

Point: When a message given by a senior is claimed as 'inscribed in heart' - is 
it not a great learning for one in his or her life. What is that message is 
above slokam 2-39-24.  

 

Reference 5. seethaa expresses here about her another teacher in her 'mother'. 
She gave me a great message says seethaa.

 

paaNi pradhaana kaalE cha yath puraa thu agni sannidhou |

anusishTaa jananyaa asmi vaakyam thadh api mE dhrutham || 2-118-8

 

meaning: seethaa says to anasooya - "What my mother taught me earlier and at 
the time of my marriage with Raama, witnessed by the fire, I shall always 
remember them."

 

navee krutham thu thath sarvam vaakyai: thE dharma chaariNi |

pathi shushruuShaNaan naaryaaH tapo na anyad vidhiiyate || 2-118-9

 

meaning: O, virtuous woman! By your words, all that is being renewed. No 
austerity, other than obedience to one's husband is decreed for a woman."

 

Point: See here seethaa talks about renewal of that education - what mother 
taught is once again said by anasooya and thus anasooya is another teacher to 
seethaa. See here seethaa talks about the austerity for women. Thus her 
education is from parents, husband, mother in law, later anasooyaa. We also saw 
in the article 'protocol' sage athri treated raama as son and seethaa as 
daughter in law. So here when anasooyaa advises seethaa, can we consider 
seethaa has another mother in law in anasooya.

 

Let us continue in next post

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.



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