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> --- "S.V.SWAMY" <swamy@xxxx> wrote:
> > Ahalya's story conveys a slightly differrent meaning to me.
> > Ahalya's mind> > wavered for a short time and thus she sinned. So
she was blessed> > (the curse> > of a sage is always a blessing in
disguise) to be 'rocksteady' in> > her> > meditation about Sri Rama.
Till He came and blessed her. What a> > wonderful> > purification?
> > Swamy SV
> > >> --- "I.V.K. CHARY" <ivkchary@xxxx> wrote:


**************************

Dear SrimAN IVK Chary and SV Swamy,

Both of you are right about Ahalya that she did not formally perform
saranagati in the way, say, Vibheeshana did.

I recall to mind what the late Sri.Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachari used
to say about the Ramayana. This itihAsa, he used to say, is a virtual
encyclopeadia of saranagati sastra. Every little incident or event in
the Ramayana reveals to us directly or subtly the nuances of
saranagati or of one of more of its 'angA'.When we study the Ramayana
we must always keep this fact in the back of the mind and be alert
and sensitive to the many flavours of saranagati that abound in it.

Ahalya may not have formally performed 'saranagati'. She may not even
have used the word "prappadyE" anywhere in the presence of Rama. But
if you study Ahalya's behaviour in the Ramayana, you will have no
doubt that she faithfully followed all the 5 'angas' of saranagati
(viz. 'anukulasya sankalpa', 'pratikulasya varjanam', 'mahavisvAsam',
'akinchinyam' and 'goptrutva..').

Being accursed Ahalya calmly accepted her condition and resolved to
await Rama's advent. (anukulasya sankalpam). Having resigned herself
to her condition and resolved to await Rama's arrival, even if it
took many, many years, Ahalya remained steadfast in her resolution...
she abjured the thought of appealing in the meanwhile for succour to
any other 'devata' or divine agency. This shows her exceptional
'pratikulasya varjanam'. Throughout the long period of Ahalya's
incarceration in the form of a 'stone', a period so frustrating that
it must have seemed painfully interminable to her, she never lost her
faith that one day Rama would surely come and redeem her. Is this not
extraordinary "mahAvisvAsam"? Next, while she lay there all those
years, as just nothing but dead and inert 'stone', to be stampled
upon by all and sundry, Ahalya knew fully well the utter helplessness
of her state. That is a measure of AHalya's true 'akinchinyam'.
Finally, AHalya knew that her redemption would come only through the
'pAda-sparsham' of Lord Rama and through no other means ('upAya') in
the world. And there she was surely exhibiting, in a most exemplary
manner, the last 'angA' of saranAgati, is it not?

While reading the Ramayana one must not let a rigid and overly
doctrinaire mind-set to cloud our minds from the many subtle beauties
of events and characters in the itihAsa. If we really believe the
Ramayana to be great and unparalleled 'saranagati sAstra', then we
must be prepared to look anywhere and everywhere in this epic and be
able to recognize even the faintest but distinct echoes of the
'saranagati tattva'. Would you agree?

I know I'm putting forth a rather unusual/unorthodox view but then it
is food for thought for you all! The onus of proving that I'm wrong
is on you now!

Regards,
dAsan,

Sudarshan




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