#Seeta

[blackknight-100]

Hi dear. Thank you for your lovely answers. May you please write something really angsty on Uttarkand about Sita and Ram along with a short resolution. Thanks again.

Hello! Thank you for the ask, here you go! I hope you like reading this:

1.

He learns it in the morning. It is bare five minutes past breakfast, five minutes since Sita put her arms around his neck and offered him pieces of chopped areca, five minutes of missing the sweetest woman in all the three worlds. Five minutes till his life is uprooted once more, like that fateful day so many years ago.

“Forgive me, My King,” says the messenger. He bows low, shoulders bent close to his hip. He is also quivering, for who would not when given the unenviable task of speaking to the king of the dishonor of a wife so dearly loved?

Rama turns away from the man. He is a god, even unawares, his Queen divine and divine-born. What should the complaints of mortal men mean to them? And yet so it does, as it did to his father, and their fathers before him. And so Rama, well-read in Dharma and the duties of Kings, bends his godly head to the whims of a washerman.

“So be it,” he says.

 

By the end of the night, Ayodhya’s royal family is in tatters. The most loyal of brothers spends his night howling at the king, deeming his orders an injustice. The most virtuous of wives sees the morning sun through the eaves of the forest, and the childing mother weeps.

 

2.

Koushalya has never been anything less than selflessly kind – and Rama has never shied away from making use of it. So he did when Dasharatha sent her only son away, so he did when Sita left her bereft of a daughter in her old age, and so he did when he refused to go with Bharata and dashed her hopes of a loving reunion. And Koushalya, who has never sought any joy for herself, Koushalya, daughter of Kosala – the greed for which kingdom is the root of all ills – bent her head to wills of her son and her daughter and her king, and asked no more.

Perhaps that is why Rama is so surprised when she insists on him remarrying. Why does she not understand that he cannot love another woman the same way she could never love any man other than Dasharatha?

“That is not true,” his mother says. “I learned to love your father out of duty, as he did as well. So too will you.”

“That is a terrible thing to say.”

“It is not, Rama. Not every man has beheld his bride in a fragrant garden, not every woman has walked the length and breadth of Aryavarta for her exiled groom. Most of us wedded in duty, for the king and kingdom that fed us and named us daughter and queen. It makes our love and loss no less. Such is the nature of things. So I have stood beside your late father with two sister-wives, and so I have held my Kosala close and dear, and loved her as I have loved you all. And so you shall now as well, for the kingdom that names you King.”

Rama hears this long speech and hears her interspersed sighs. He is King – by virtue of his birth and his mother’s as well – and a hundred thousand men in Ayodhya alone send him tribute for it. His raiment is ever sparkling and yellow-gold, his table groans under food. All men exalt him, from the foot of the mountains to the tip of seas, more than they even do Indra, King of Gods – is his loss of love not meagre payment?

And Rama, god-king, turns away and bows. “So be it,” he says and bends his head.

By noon, a sculptor is summoned, a hundred ingots of gold collected, and a thousand golden coins offered. By the time the fires of the Ashwamedha Yajna is lit, the Queen’s empty place at Rama’s side is filled by a golden mockery of the greatest woman on Aryavart.

 

3.

Sita of the forest is much changed, and yet she is still the same. Before her hermit’s attire Rama and his silks appear cheap; her garlands of flowers make mockery of his gold and jewels. Even Surya, father of Ikshvaku’s Clan, bends his rays around her curves, shamed by the light in her eyes.

Come back, he wants to say, please, come back with me.

And yet Rama is King where Sita is no longer queen, and will never be unless every man in Ayodhya knows of her innocence. Lanka knew, as did Kishkinda, for Rama would not allow any tarnish upon the name of Raghu’s scions. From his own people he had sought more trust, to his own folly.

She looks at him quietly, clutching at wild children who should have known palaces, with tears in eyes that should have never seen such sorrow.

But Rama has bowed his head to the will of his people, has heard their charges and said, “So be it.”

 

And thus under the eaves of a forest sister to Dandaka, Sita’s chastity is questioned again. And thus, the King strikes the innocent once more, punishing where he should have shielded, being the judge where he should have been the guard, and the ransom for a Queen’s return is named.

 

+1.

Gentle is the land of Mithila, sweet are her songs. Wise is her sagely King, and blessed are her people. And so she has passed these virtues unto her daughter, as all good mothers do, for the land has borne Sita long before any man could lay claim upon her.

To scorn her is to scorn the loyal, the hapless and the earthbound; to forsake her is to forsake the daughter and the mother and the wife. Kosala, the kingdom that called itself Dasharatha’s for all that Koushalya was its child, has done just that – a land of raving men that seeks to destroy those who have borne and raised them.

Sita has been wife for nigh two decades, is even now a mother. And yet she is woman, and her kin are those with curved hips and gentle hands – beautiful features that would be sought and lusted after like leopards lust for calves. And as the farmer bemoans the trembling calf that strayed from the herd, so too would the world bemoan the women who fall into the jaws of men, would say: why did she not run away, why did she not fight; why did she not slay herself, that now one must doubt her husband’s might?

So, Sita lifts her head where it had been bowed, blinks tears away from her eyes.

“That cannot be,” she tells the King, for no longer is Rama husband and lover, and shakes her head.

“Mother!” she calls. Divine she is, and divine-born, and the earth, her mother, rends apart for her. Her children scream, her once-husband howls. But Sita is no longer mother and wife. It is time for her to be a daughter.

(By noon, Lav-Kusha are motherless where they once had no father, and Kosala is orphaned again. The kingdom laments and wails, but Sita is gone. Forgiveness, even from a goddess lasts only so far. And yet centuries later her tale is still told, for it is a woman’s fate to be bloody, but may she ever be unbowed.)

[sambhavami]

Anasuya: I have imagined her here in a homely avatar, wearing the jewellery she later ends up gifting to Seeta. The stories of her devotion always amaze me, the way she had enough power to make even celestials nervous, and yet she never made a big deal out of it.

I know this picture would probably not do her justice, but I was trying a new art style, and this is what I ended up with. 🤭

[bhagavanbhakthi]

Rama, Sita and Lakshman in forest

[paramountltd]

जनकसुता जग जननि जानकी।अतिसय प्रिय करुनानिधान की॥

ताके जुग पद कमल मनावउँ। जासु कृपाँ निरमल मति पावउँ॥

सीता नवमी की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं

[praveenmohantelugu]

ప్రంబనన్ రామాయణం - Part - 6

Hey guys, ప్రంబనన్ రామాయణం యొక్క చివరి భాగానికి స్వాగతం. ఈ episodeలో మీరు చూడబోయే, ఈ అపూర్వమైన చెక్కడం, మరే ఇతర దేవాలయాల్లోనూ చూసుండరు. మీకు రామాయణం బాగా తెలిసినా కూడా, మీరు ఆశ్చర్యపోతారు. ఇక్కడ రాముడు మరియు సీత, రాజు మరియు రాణిగా సింహాసనంపై కూర్చోవడం మనం చూడవచ్చు, రాముడు ఒక పేద సామాన్యుడికి, బంగారు నాణాన్ని ఇస్తున్నాడు చూడండి. కానీ అతను రాముడి నుండి బంగారు నాణెం తీసుకోవడానికి నిరాకరించాడు. ఎందుకు? ఈ వ్యక్తిని చూడండి, అతను ఎక్కడో చూస్తున్నాడు, రాముడి నుండి బహుమతి తీసుకోకుండా చేతులు ముడుచుకున్నాడు. దీనితో రాముడు చాలా ఆశ్చర్యపోయాడు, ఈ పేదవాడు తన డబ్బు ఎందుకు తీసుకోలేదో అని కుతూహలంగా ఉంటాడు. దీన్ని చూసి సీత నవ్వుకుంటుంది, ఆమెను విశాలమైన చిరునవ్వుతో చూపించారు, దీన్ని ఒక జోక్ అని ఆమె అనుకుంటుంది కాబట్టి. కానీ జోక్ సీత మీదనే ఉంది, ఎందుకంటే రాణి సీత గురించి ఒక wild rumor spread అవుతుంది. ఏంటీ ఆ rumor? సీత చాలా నెలలుగా రావణుడి చేతిలో బంధీగా ఉన్నందున, ఆమె అపవిత్రమైనదని అందరూ అనుకుంటున్నారు.

కథ ప్రకారం చూసుకుంటే, ఒక సాధారణ వ్యక్తి ఉన్నాడు, అతని భార్య బయటకు వెళ్లి, కొన్ని రోజుల తర్వాత ఇంటికి తిరిగి రావడానికి ప్రయత్నిస్తుంది. ఆ వ్యక్తి ఆమెను తిరిగి ఇంట్లోకి రానివ్వడు. ఇరుగుపొరుగువారు అతనితో తర్కించటానికి ప్రయత్నించినప్పుడు, ఆ వ్యక్తి "అపవిత్రమైన స్త్రీని అంగీకరించడానికి నేను రాముడిలా మూర్ఖుడనా?" అని అంటాడు. ఈ సంఘటన ఒక అనధికారిక సమాచారంగా మారింది, దీన్ని చాలా పెద్దదిగా spread చేశారు, రాముడు మరియు సీతను, వెనుక వారు హేళన చేశారు. ఈ వ్యక్తుల ముఖం��ో ఉన్న expressionsను చూడండి. రాముడి నుంచి పెద్ద కానుక అందుకున్నా ఈ కుర్రాడు కూడా నవ్వుతున్నాడు. అవతలి వ్యక్తి అతని వైపు చూసి, అతను ఒక మూర్ఖుడి నుండి బహుమతిని ఎందుకు స్వీకరించాడు అని అడిగాడు? ఈ ఇద్దరు వ్యక్తులు అయితే, వారిలోనే వారు చిన్నగా, నవ్వుకుంటూ, రాముడు మరియు సీతను, ఎగతాళి చేస్తూ, సంతృప్తి లేకుండా చేస్తున్నారు. ఇక్కడ, సీత ఒక రోజు, trip కోసం అడవికి వెళ్లాలని కోరుకుంటుంది, అప్పుడు రాముడు తన సోదరుడు లక్ష్మణుడిని ఆమెతో పాటు పంపుతాడు. ఇక్కడ చూడండి, సీత అడవిలో ఉన్న చెట్లను మరియు జంతుజాలాన్ని ఆస్వాదిస్తూ చాలా సంతోషంగా ఉంది. అయితే, ఇక్కడ లక్ష్మణుడు అసౌకర్యంగా నవ్వుతున్నాడు.

అతను తన శరీరాన్ని మెలితిప్పి సీతతో మాట్లాడవలసి వచ్చినందున కావచ్చు? ఈ రథాన్ని గొప్ప వివరాలతో చూపించారు, ప్రయాణీకుల కోసం ఎత్తైన seat కూడా ఉంది చూడండి, ఇందులో ఉన్న ప్రతిదాన్ని చాలా చక్కగా అలంకరించారు. ఈ చక్రాలను చూడండి, ఈ అంచులు, modern day fancy car యొక్క అంచులతో పోటీపడగలవు. ఈ రెండు గుర్రాలు రథాన్ని లాగడం మనం చూడవచ్చు. వారి వెనుక మరియు ముందు, మందపాటి, దట్టమైన ఉష్ణమండల అడవిను చూపించారు. మీరు జాగ్రత్తగా పరిశీలిస్తే, లోపల దాగి ఉన్న పక్షులు, జంతువులు మీకు కనిపించవచ్చు. సీత యొక్క ఆభరణాలను చూడండి, నా ఉద్దేశ్యం ఏంటంటే, ఆమె రాణి కాబట్టి అన్ని రకాల బంగారు ఆభరణాలను ధరించి ఉంటుంది. మీరు లక్ష్మణునిపై ఉన్న అద్భుతమైన ఆభరణాలను కూడా చూడవచ్చు. ధనవంతులు జీవితాన్ని ఎలా ఆనందిస్తున్నారో మీరు చూడండి, వారు vacations, picnicsకు కూడా వెళతారు, కదా?

Praveen Mohan Telugu

[digitalhikes04]

We Welcome Ram Ji🙏

[rankhikes]

 Celebrating the divine moment of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Samharoh! 🙏

✨ As we witness the sacred consecration, let the spirit of unity and devotion inspire our hearts.

May this monumental occasion fill our lives with blessings and harmony. 🚀🌺

[nakeddeparture]

Bridgetown, Barbados. President of the Fairchild Street Market, ‘Toby’, responds to video.

https://youtu.be/iT8c6354jFU

And, since deep-seated attitudes are hard to change, sometimes it’s best to part ways. Naked!!

[maralika09]

SEETARPANAM – A STORY – NAVARATRI, DIWALI AND SEETA

It is always nice to celebrate together. Diwali is such a great occasion, which brings happiness all around. Diwali or Deepavali is called the festival of lights. Each and every home and every street and road are lit up with lamps and lanterns. It is indeed a beautiful sight.

There is always a story behind every festival. The story of Diwali is related to Ram, the king of Ayodhya. It is believed that Ram along with Seeta and Lakshmana reached Ayodhya on this day after defeating Ravana.

This narration is an attempt to articulate some thoughts surrounding Seeta. If Dussehra  is the day when Ravana was killed by Ram, is there any connection between Seetaa and  Navadurgas?  If Deepavali is the day Ram, Seeta and Lakshman reached Ayodhya, and Diwali is also the occasion to worship Lakshmi, Is there any connection between Lakshmi, Seeta , lamps and diyas?

Enjoy reading

SEETARPANAM – A STORY – NAVARATRI, DIWALI AND SEETA

SEETADEVI AND NAVADURGAS

Seetadevi sat under the tree. She is in Lanka now. She had the intuition that she could meet Rama very soon

Seeta, the personification of purity was worshipping Maa Adiparashakti everyday. In those dark and desperate days, Seeta lit the lamp, with the name and form of Maa Durga.

Seetadevi decided to worship the nine pure yet powerful forms of Maa Durga. Maa Durga in the form of Shailputri, the beautiful young maiden daughter of Himalaya, came into her mind. Seeta immersed herself in the thought of Shailputri and meditated upon her and prayed to give her enough strength to pass through this miserable situation

The next day Seetadevi prayed to Maa Brahmacharini, a satwik form of Maa Durga. Seeta pleaded to this supreme mother who is the abode of all the living and non living, for forgiveness to any fault or mistakes by thought, words or deed, intentionally or unintentionally. Seeta immersed herself in japa   and meditated upon this satwik form of Maa Durga and prayed for her blessings

Seetadevi invoked Maa Chandrakhanta on the  third day. Maa Durga in this form is adorned with a crescent moon, who rides on a tiger, who wields weapons, and is holding japamala and lotus too. With one of the hands she protects her devotees and with the other she gives boons. Seetadevi prayed to this benign and  powerful form of Maa Durga.

Maa Kushmanda was the next form of Durga whom Seeta worshipped. This powerful benign form of Maa Durga rides on a lion and the power of entire universe exists inside Maa Kushmanda, like an egg. Seetadevi meditated upon her that day and night.

On the fifth day Seetadevi invoked Skanda Mata, mother of Kartikeya. With her son on her lap, wrapping her  hand around him with love, she rides on a lion. Seetadevi prayed to this wonderful form for protection and motherly love.

On the sixth day, Seetadevi prayed to Durga Maa as Katyayani Devi, who rides on a fierce lion. She has a lotus in one of her hands which shows her kindness and love. Seetadevi meditated upon this divine form of Katyayani Devi who is adorned with beautiful ornaments.

Maa Kalaratri is a fierce form of Maa Durga. Maa  Kalaratri is the symbol of courage, power, destruction and auspiciousness. She destroys the evil and restores the balance. Maa kalaratri rides on donkey and has three red eyes, skull garland as ornament, and she carries various weapons too. Seetadevi worshipped Maa Kalaratri with complete devotion and respect on the seventh day and prayed for her blessings

The next day Seetadevi prayed to Mahagauri, who rides  an ox . The only weapon she has is a trident. On the other two hands she holds a damaru and lotus. She shows the abhayamudra with one of her hands. Mahagauri empowers her devotees and protects and shields them from evil. Seetadevi worshipped her intensely and prayed for her protection

On the ninth day Seetadevi invoked Maa Sidhidatri with utmost respect and devotion. Maa Durga in this supremely blissful form confers all supernatural powers on her devotees. She is sitting on a fully bloomed lotus and holds discuss and mace on two of her hands which shows her might and courage. On the other two hands she holds a lotus and conch which represents her beauty and purity. Seetadevi intensely meditated upon this auspicious form of Maa Durga and prayed for her blessings.

The next day was tenth day of Seetadevi ‘s tapasya. News reached her  that Rama had won the battle and soon she will be united with Rama. On that day she invoked Maa Vijaya Devi with utmost gratitude and humility. She thanked the supreme mother for giving strength and patience throughout. Seetadevi felt the days of darkness, ignorance, confinement, instability and uncertainties are over.

AGNISHUDDHI

Seetadevi who is the personification of purity herself, still wanted to do the ablutions., The ablutions with fire! 

Seetadevi entered the sacred fire pit without any fear. She burnt all the impure thoughts of ignorance. She offered it as the sacrifice to fire which burns everything. The sacred fire accepted all her offerings.

Seetadevi enjoyed the sound of flames moving up and down. She enjoyed the little crackling sound of sparks. She bathed on the sacred fire leisurely. The power of fire was on her will, on her command!

Energised by that sacred fire, Seetadevi stepped out of the fire pit glowing like a golden flame

The people gathered there were amazed to witness all these. Those who knew Seetadevi were aware of her siddhis. They had heard about Seetadevi’s commanding power over the elements. It is said that mother earth manifested herself infront of Seetadevi upon her command. That was Seetadevi! That much was her power!

DIWALI

In Ayodhya there was no place for negative emotions (tamogunas). People were always happy, peaceful, energetic, kind and prosperous. They had heard about the fierce battle between Rama and Ravana. They know that Rama is peace loving individual but he won’t run away if war is inevitable and he is invincible whoever his opponent be.

Now prince Rama and princess Seeta is returning to Ayodhya after years of exile. People of Ayodhya celebrated the occasion with great enthusiasm.

News of Seetadevi’s tapasya and subsequent agnishuddhi reached much earlier than Rama and Seeta themselves.  All the women admired her. They just wanted to have a look, just wanted to see her with their own eyes. Seetadevi ensured her presence.  She sat and conversed with them. They couldn’t take their eyes off of her. While hesitantly  returning,  they invited her to their homes. They requested Seetadevi to come to their homes and energise and purify with her presence. Seetadevi promised to visit each and every home in the kingdom of Ayodhya.

People cleaned their homes, road to their homes, surroundings too. They decorated their homes with flowers and toran, made colourful rangolis wherever possible. They lit diyas in the evening and burst firecrackers at night. Those were the days of celebrations.

They imagined the gracious presence of Seetadevi in their homes, which was no less than getting a boon. Seetadevi’s tapasya and agnishuddhi became the topic of new and never ending stories in Ayodhya. It was the talk, if there were a group of people together, it was the theme of the story the grandmother would tell her grandchildren repeatedly, to which the children would like to listen to repeatedly.

Because she will be passing bythe way, lamps and lanterns were lit every nook and corner. The roadsides were decorated with colorful rangoli.   People expected, wished her to come or at least pass by their way. And it was Seetadevi who will never ignore their expectations and wishes.

As promised Seetadevi visited each and every home in the kingdom of Ayodhya, rich or poor, big or small, far or near. She walked through every road. They welcomed her with flower garlands and aarti.  To represent her command over the elements earth and fire, they lit earthen lamps in front of their homes.  People showered her with love. Out of love and concern, some elderly ladies scolded her for entering into fire and told her not to do it again. Some of them warned her not to play with fire. Some asked her whether she burned herself, and are there any burn marks on her. Seetadevi happily answered all their queries.

For them Seetadevi was none other than Goddess Mahalakshmi who bestows all the happiness and prosperity

Because Seetadevi is one of a kind and the people of Ayodhya were one of a kind, they were celebrated every year. They  are remembered time and again.

A VERY HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OF YOU

[shilpcasa]

"Jai Shree Ram🌺🙏

Resin Ram Darbar Statue

handmade articles with diversity, from balcony to puja room essentials, from furniture to wall decor; we offer everything that you want for styling your home.

We have unique and rare product design range and it can be yours by just making a choice before your favorite items gets stock out. Feel free to DM us anytime for further details about products.

And for new and best products at pocket friendly range... stay tune with us…🤗

#ramdarbar #ram #hanumanji #seetaram #ramlaxmanjanki #hanumanchalisa #jaishreeram #shriraam Ram darbar #hanumaan #hanumandada #hanumanmandir #shreeraambhaktbajranbali #shreeraam #hanuta #hanu #jaishreera #jayhanuman #shree @shilpcasa

[miruneal]

shut up oh my god i did both of these in literally like 4 minutes im not eevn exaggerating i just hacked my brian

[celebritiesinthepose]

Helen Flanagan, Carley Stensob, Lacey Turner, Seeta Indrani & Charley Webb

[sambhavami]

Ehi Murare - Jambavati (Part 2)

She looked at the glowing amber gem in her hand and back up at the doe-eyed man standing at the gate of their settlement. He looked tired but determined. His yellow robes were spattered in the dirt. Still, his face spelled relief. With an arm outstretched, he took a step forward. Instinctively, she backed towards the wall. The gem slipped from her hand, and he picked it up. As he stood examining the gem, Jambavati examined him. 

He was tall and dark. He wore no crown, unlike the other hunters she had seen who had come close to their village. A few peacock feathers were braided into his long curled locks. Going against her better judgment, she drew closer to the man, running her fingers over the silky feathers. As she let herpalm slipdown to touch his fingers, she felt an ornate ring adorning his index finger. The sign of the moon, she recognized it from her father's trophy collection. The same motif she had seen on the ring that her father had brought home alongside the sparkling gem. A chill went down her spine. Had he come to avenge his friend? However, he seemed satisfied with having just acquired the gem and was now staring intently at her face. His demeanour seemed more curious than vengeful. Jambavati could've sworn that there was also a hint of longing in those ocean-deep eyes of his. Would he leave now? Why did he have to come at all, and make her so vulnerable, only to leave so soon?! She thought, her mouth dry. Suddenly, the booming voice of her father, the King of the village, startled them both. They both hurriedly stepped away from each other even as their eyes still begged to remain latched on to each other.

She watched in apprehension as King Jambavan, her father, rushed between the two of them, pushing her back and clutching the hand of her crying little brother. “Who are you? How dare you infiltrate my kingdom?!” 

The man smiled. “You do not recognize me, do you?” His eyes twinkled. The gem was still hidden in his palm. It sparkled through his fingers. They no longer were separate. Jambavati rubbed her eyes in disbelief. The mysterious ever-glowing gem seemed to have lost its uniqueness as a brighter aura emanated from him!

“Well,” he said, breaking the chain of her thoughts, “I must take your leave now, Sir. I need to get back to my place with this Syamantaka gem. It has wreaked enough havoc in my life, I just want to get it back to its owner.” Jambavan snatched the gem from his hand and threw it to Jambavati who held it close to herself, hiding it under the loose end of her cloth. Well, now you can't leave.

He slowly shook his head, still smiling. “This gem belongs to Srimanta Satrajit of Dwarika. He had lent this to his brother Prasanta, who was killed by a lion in the forest which took the gem with it. I’m assuming you are the one who killed the lion and brought the gem back here. I thank you for safeguarding it, but I must take it back now.”

Jambavan’s face contorted in rage. “Finders keepers, young man. This is the last chance that I am giving you to escape. Be gone from my land and never be seen again!” Jambavati thought to protest but looking at her father's blazing eyes, she controlled herself. Her father wasn't himself when he flew off the deep end. It had been an endless source of conflict between him and her mother, till the very day she had passed away from a rare disease. Since then, Jambavati had taken great care to not enrage her father, going as far as to hide her brothers' wrongdoings from him. After all, no one but their mother had ever been able to calm the King down when he lost his cool.

The man sighed, “Fine. At least lend me the gem for a week, so that I may show it to my countrymen and then bring it back?”

“I have no interest in this gem! It’s a gimmick for you foolish humans! However, it is my property now and I have given it to my children to play with. I will not snatch my child’s toy for a mere human! You will have to fight me if you want it.” Her father growled.

The man’s face hardened, “So be it.“  Jambavati's heart beat so loudly against her chest, for a moment she thought it was audible to him. Go, she wanted to scream at him, no one has ever defeated my father in battle!

---

Jambavan was the son of Brahma, the creator. He had spent aeons roaming the earth. They said there wasn't a single corner of the globe that he hadn't seen. He had made many friends and a lot more enemies. In the previous yuga, he had, upon the request of Surya, the sun god, taken up residence at the court of the Vanara brothers Vali and Sugreeva. He had then met Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, and travelled to Lanka to rescue his abducted wife. Jambavati often made him recount in great detail, the places he had seen and the people he had met while travelling across the land of Bharata. Of all the people Jambavan talked of, very few stood out to her. Hanuman, the magical monkey, was one of them. She had hardly been able to believe her eyes, when one day, the mischievous super-monkey from the realms of her father's stories had pranced into the village court.

Jambavan had rushed down from his throne to embrace him and kissed his forehead affectionately. "It feels like it was only yesterday that you were that green intern at Sugreeva's court. Look how far you've come, a regular superhero!" At dinner that night, he had introduced him to Jambavati. At ten years of age, Jambavati had not yet learned the art of subtlety. "Shouldn't you be dead already?" She had blurted out. Hanuman had laughed with such intensity, it had woken up a family of bats hanging from the huge banyan tree nearby. Then her father had explained how the goddess-princess Seeta had blessed him with immortality and immunity from fire. Turning to her father he had said, "See, as a fellow immortal, I have very few people I can be myself with!"

Later, he had demonstrated all his magic tricks to the children. Jambavati, along with her brothers, had taken great pleasure in flying into the night sky on his shoulders, and watching as he walked in and out of the fireplace, unscathed. Later, Jambavati had overheard him conversing with her father over late-night snacks. "Why didn't you help the kids? They needed more than a vague blessing from across the mountains!" Her father had asked their guest.

"Well, why didn't you?" Hanuman had retorted.

"I was depressed." Her father had replied.

"Well, so was I!"

"It was deeply unfair, what happened to them. For a while, I couldn't get that image out of my head. Even today, I see it so clearly in my mind! Seeta, with her eyes blazing and strands of matted hair flying in all directions, all while the ground swallowed her up! I couldn't sleep for so many months after that!" Her father had rubbed his temple. She shivered at the very thought of it. She had often tried to imagine herself in that goddess's place, but could never really relate to her.

Hanuman had nodded solemnly, "Yes, that. I had vowed to never return to Ayodhya when he exiled her! Even then, I had hung around the forests where she was, keeping an eye on the kids, but I couldn't resist when my Rama called me back for his yajna! And then his sons defeated and tied me up. Oh, how mother Seeta had laughed upon seeing me all trussed up. We both had such nasty flashbacks! It was the last time I saw her! Then, she set me free, with a bunch of snacks tied to my belt!" Hanuman laughed sadly, "Then she left, and then he did too. I had promised to take care of his people, anyone who loved and trusted him, but I couldn't! I lost my best friend, and I ran! I ran to the other corner of the world, drowning myself in penance, focusing my entire being on remembering what he was, so I didn't have to remember that he was gone!"

Jambavan had sighed, "So, what brings you back now, after a yuga?"

"I don't know, something in my heart said it's time." Hanuman had stared off into the direction of their house. Jambavati knew he was just drifting off, but somehow she felt he was looking straight at her through the crack in the door.

---

Jambavati watched, the gem still clutched to her heart, as her father duelled the dark-skinned man. Before she realized it, night fell. Both warriors paused their battle to pay obeisance to the Gods of the evening. As she fetched holy water for her father to perform his rites, he instructed her to bring some for the young man as well. As she offered the pail to him, he held on to her palm. For a little too long.

Twenty-eight days and twenty-eight nights passed by as Jambavati watched in amazement. The two men continued to fight. She was a little afraid as well. She had never seen her father unsure on a battlefield but this time, he clearly struggled. The young man used techniques that she hadn't even heard of. From the looks of it, neither had her father. Still, though barely, he kept up.

Every night, after midnight both warriors would retire for a few hours to rest. While Jambavan returned to his chambers, the man was allotted a room that could only be called a glorified dungeon. The first time that he had been escorted to the room by a handful of guards, he had laughed in their faces. "He really doesn't know who I am!" He had roared with laughter. Even then he had never openly complained about his prisoner-like treatment. Every night Jambavati would serve him the simple diet her father had ordained, while secretly bringing him delicacies that she saved from her own portions. Her father was annoyed at her insistence to wait on the stranger herself, but he did not object. After all, he seemed at least a man of honour.

Jambavati had discovered that once you got through the envelope of stoicism he had built around himself, the man really loved to talk! He had told her his name: Krishna Vasudeva. He told her about his wife, Rukmini, the one who had bravely orchestrated her own kidnapping to escape a forced marriage. "Do you think you can help me pass a message to her? Just to let her know I'm alive?" He had asked her one day, "I don't think your father will let me write any letters home!" He had smiled sadly. Jambavati had begged all her male friends that night, but no one had agreed to disobey their King. Jambavati had cried while delivering the bad news to him. To her surprise, he had smiled, even though his eyes were disappointed. Taking her palms in his hands, he had consoled her!

He would tell her stories about his island country, Dwarika, their homeland Mathura, and the fields of Vrindavan where he had grown up. Jambavati couldn't imagine this royal prince, elegance dripping from every cell of his strong body, running around chasing rogue cows, frolicking in a river, and stealing food from people's homes. In return, she would tell him the stories she had heard from her father. He seemed especially interested in Hanuman, asking hundreds of inconsequential questions. "Tell him to drop by Dwarika sometime if you see him, will you?" He said.

"Do you know him from before or something?" Jambavati had finally asked, tired of answering the same questions for the fifth time, "You sound like you want to catch up with him, but you need all the details first!" 

"Never seen him in this life!" He had laughed.

---

Finally, on the twenty-ninth day, Krishna had Jambavan, the King of all bears, laid on his back. Bewildered, Jambavati saw a strange recognition flash across her father’s face as a blinding light filled their little coven! She couldn’t discern the figure that was outlined under the light beam or the lilting words that rang but she clutched the wretched gem closer to her heart, praying. Suddenly, she found herself on an unknown seashore. Her father was hovering over her, his hands cupping her face. But, he looked way younger than she remembered. In her ears, her father's voice rang, "Oh, how I wish I had a daughter like you!" Turning back, she saw a dark-skinned man walk up to them. With a jolt she recognized, it was him: Krishna! However, he looked a little different, cautious and more guarded. He smiled briefly as Jambavam exclaimed, "I would like to marry my daughter to you, Rama!"

Jambavati gasped. But, it was Krishna, wasn't it? Or...? The man smiled indulgently, "Be careful what you say Brahma-putra," He put an arm around Jambavati, "This one's my one and only." She heard herself laughing. It was a different laugh, laced with a strange grief. "Also, you don't have a daughter!" She felt herself wrapping her arm around Rama's waist...or Krishna's? Her father scratched his head, embarrassed. Then, pointing at her, he spoke with renewed enthusiasm, "She's like my daughter only, let me perform a marriage for you two again! A vow-renewal? I would be forever blessed."

Jambavati wondered, if this man standing with an arm around her shoulder, leaning slightly on her, was Rama, then who did that make her? One and only? How could she be Rama's one and only? Wasn't that...her trail of thought was broken by Rama speaking kindly, "That's a lovely offer, but we must begin our journey immediately. My people await me! Maybe next time."

Jambavan suddenly grasped Jambavati's palms, nearly scaring her, "You must promise then, you will become my daughter at least once, if not in this life then surely the next! I promise I will spoil you rotten!" Jambavati again heard her own voice speaking of its own volition, "I will promise, on the condition, that you find yourself a pretty wife!"

In a blink, Jambavati found herself collapsed on the ground in the dark coven in their village. Her father had fallen on Krishna's feet, sobbing uncontrollably. As much as she was rooting for Krishna's victory, she became tearful looking at the state of her father. Though she dared not say a word, she beseeched him with her eyes. Krishna looked at her briefly, before sitting down beside her father with a smile on his lips.

A wave of relief washed over her as she saw Krishna gently lift her father up as he weakly beckoned to her. Quickly she went up close to them. Jambavan gently took her hand and placed it in the man’s palm along with the Syamantaka gem. “This, my dear, is Prince Krishna of Dwarika. Give him the same honour in your heart as you do our Lord Sri Rama! You are the most precious gem in my treasury and you also bear his Syamantaka. I hope I have your consent in offering your hand to him?” Turning to Krishna he said, "Consider this a promise fulfilled. I hope you take better care of her because I am not Janaka!" Jambavati looked to and fro between the men. They seemed to be conversing on a level beyond her comprehension. Still, she was elated to see Krishna solemnly nod his head in assent.

A wave of emotions swept over her. She felt her eyes welling up, her knees shaking as the prince looked at her shyly. Nodding her assent coyly, she slowly removed a pearl necklace and tied it around his slender neck, ready to follow him to his golden city.

[igiveupmiss3]

Evidence

“Bye, gents!” laughed June as she looked down at the two young glowering drugs dealers sitting back to back on the pavement, their wrists handcuffed together behind their backs. “We’ll be off now, to track down the other little idiots in your gang. I’m sure the van will be along to pick you up soon!” Norika grinned happily too. “And thanks for the evidence, lads!” she beamed holding up a small package of suspicious-looking white powder. “This will be so helpful when WPC Ackland and I get round to doing your paperwork later on this afternoon!” The sullen young men said nothing as the two policewomen swept past them, tights swishing. June turned round just before joining Norika in their squad car. “Maybe you should think of changing your career, boys!” she smiled at the resentful looking captives before slamming the car door shut.

Source: still/screenshot from the 1990s British TV cop show The Bill, featuring actresses Trudie Goodwin and Seeta Indrani as WPCs June Ackland and Norika Datta.

[naldibutnice]

Seeta Devi in Shiraz: A Romance of India (1928) Dir. Franz Osten

[praveenmohantelugu]

ప్రంబనన్ రామాయణం - Part - 5

Hey guys, ప్రంబనన్ రామాయణం యొక్క 5వ భాగానికి స్వాగతం. ఇదే రామాయణం యొక్క మొదటి యుద్ధ సన్నివేశం, ఇక్కడ మీరు ఇద్దరు వ్యక్తులు, స్పృహ కోల్పోయారు, వారిని, ఒక పెద్ద పాముతో కట్టేసి బంధించారు చూడండి. ఎవరు వాళ్ళు? ఎవరంటే రాముడు మరియు లక్ష్మణుడు. అవును, మీరు వారిని ఇంత దయనీయ స్థితిలో ఎన్నడూ చూడలేదు కదా, వారు గర్వంగా, విజేతలుగా మరియు ఇతరులను ఓడించడాన్ని మీరు ఎల్లప్పుడూ చూసుంటారు, కానీ వారు ఎల్లప్పుడూ, గొప్ప రాక్షస రాజు అయిన రావణుడితో పోరాడుతుంటారు. రాముడు, లక్ష్మణుడు ఇంత దయనీయ స్థితికి ఎలా వచ్చారు?

మీరు చూడగలిగినట్లుగా, ఈ చెక్కడం బాగా దెబ్బతింది, అయితే ఇది South East Asian ఆలయాలలో ప్రసిద్ధి చెందిన ఒక దృశ్యం. వేరొక ఆలయంలో చెక్కబడిన ఇదే దృశ్యాన్ని మీకు చూపిస్తాను, so ఇక్కడ మనం అన్ని వివరాలను చూడవచ్చు. ఇక్కడ, రాముడు స్పృహ కోల్పోయి నేలపై పడి ఉన్నట్టు మనం చూడవచ్చు. అతని కళ్ళు స్పష్టంగా మూసుకుపోయాయి. కానీ జాగ్రత్తగా చూడండి, అతని వెనుక మరొక ముఖం ఉంది, అది అతని సోదరుడు లక్ష్మణుడు, అతను కూడా కొట్టివేయబడి కోమాలో ఉన్నాడు. ఎందుకు? ఎందుకంటే, వారు నాగపాషా అనే ఆయుధంతో కొట్టబడ్డారు, ఇది బాధితులను ��పస్మారక స్థితికి మరియు పక్షవాతానికి గురిచేసే, విరుద్ధమైన పాములను విడుదల చేస్తుంది.

ఈ పాము, రాముడు, లక్ష్మణుడిని ఎలా చుట్టుకుందో మీరు చూడవచ్చు. కానీ రాముడు మరియు లక్ష్మణుడు ఎందుకు పోరాడలేదు? ఎందుకంటే, శత్రువు మాంత్రికుడు కాబట్టి, అతను ఎవరికీ కనిపించకుండా, మేఘాలలో దాక్కున్నాడు. మీరు అతన్ని కనిపెట్టగలరా? ఇక్కడ, ఎడమ మూలలో, మేఘంలో దాక్కున్న ఒక వ్యక్తిని, బాణం వదులుతున్నట్టు మీరు చూడవచ్చు. అతని పేరు ఇంద్రజిత్, అతను రావణుని కుమారుడు. Interesting అయినా విషయం ఏంటంటే, మీరు మేఘాలలో నీటిని చూడవచ్చు, so పురాతన నిర్మాణదారులకు, మేఘాల నుండి నీరు విడుదల చేయబడిందని తెలుసు, ఈ అందమైన చెక్కడం కూడా 1000 సంవత్సరాల పురాతనమైనది.

ఇది Thailandలోని, Phimai Temple లో కనిపిస్తుంది. రాముడు, లక్ష్మణుడు నేలమీద పడిన తర్వాత, వానర సైన్యానికి ఏమి జరిగిందో ఈ చెక్కడం చూపిస్తుంది. ఈ కోతులు వారి గుండెపై చేయి వేసుకొని, తీవ్ర దుఃఖంలో ఉన్నట్లు మీరు చూడవచ్చు, ఒక కోతి మాత్రం ఈ ఇద్దరి సోదరులను బ్రతికించమని, దేవుడిని ప్రార్థిస్తున్నట్లు ఉంది చూడండి.

Praveen Mohan Telugu