ARANYA KANDAM

Aranya Kandam is the book of the forest. The forest life of Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, his constant companion are men tioned here . The kidnapping of Sita by the demon king Ravana also follows.

Rama was very much worried thinking about Sita. "Will we see Sita again?" sighted Rama. The brothers hurried homeward. They saw the Asrama empty. They called out to Sita; they ran hither and thither, hoping against hope to see her. Alas! she was lost. Rama sank in despair and tears rolled down from his eyes. The rakshasas had eaten her up. Rama became stupefied. Lakshamana infused life into him. He said, "Despondency never pays. A resolute man conquers fate. He makes the impossible, possible. Let us make a diligent search in the forest. We are likely to get some clue." The two brothers went round everywhere calling out Sita's name; but there was no trace of her, they intently looked at a herd of deer as if appealing to it to give some inkling of Sita's whereabouts. All the innocent animals looked up to the sky and moved southward. The brothers also went in that direction. Very soon they came across Jatayu the heroic vulture king with blood stain all over. The first thought that flashed in Rama's mind was that the creature was a demon involved in Sita's death. But the sinking bird gathered up his failing energy, made Rama understand who he was and gave an account of his enraged encounter with Ravana. "The loud wailing of Sita woke me up from sleep. I found the wicked Ravana carrying her away captive. I charged him with cowardice and shamefulness for a warrior king to steal a woman during the absence of her husband. But the demon proved callous to right conduct. Pounced on him and fought back against his sharp weapons. Age against me my wings and claws were cut off. The captive Sita pleaded with me to convey the mishap to you. I kept alive to fulfill that mission. Search and find her out. You will kill Ravana and regain Sita." With these words Jatayu breathed his last. From the day of his contact with Rama at Dandaka forest this royal bird had assumed a fatherly attitude towards him. He gave up his life in the cause of the captive Sita. The loss was keenly felt by the brothers. They cremated Jatayu's remains and performed obsequies exactly in the manner in which they have done to Dasaratha if they had been present at Ayodhya when he died. Now with a ray of hope that Sita might be alive they penetrated the dense forest and moved southwards.

Fortitude fluctuated in the two brothers now and then. When Rama grew despondent Lakshmana would infuse courage and perseverance in him; when Lakshmana became dejected the other would cheer him up. Thus they helped each other. As the brothers were feeling their way through the forest infested with wild animals, they came across a strange monster. It had no neck and head. The broad mouth with sharp and protruding teeth was located in the stomach. This hideous creature caught hold of the brothers on either hand and was at the point of gulping them; but they were quick enough to cut and sever the hands of that dreadful creature. The monster too was immediately released of a curse by Indra because of a bad conduct. Regaining the former wisdom the creature asked if the assailants were Rama and Lakshmana. Getting a positive reply the creature said, "Set my body on fire and I shall do good to you." The wish was carried out. From the blaze of the crackling fire there emerged a radiant figure known as Kabandha. He pronounced, "Rama, you will regain Sita. Proceed on the banks of the beautiful Pampa. Adjoining it is the rock Rishyamukha. On it lives Sugreeva and make friendship with him. He will render the needful help to you."

Once the instruction was finished, Kabandha ascended into heaven. Rama and Lakshmana now moved in the direction of the Pampa and reached it. It seemed a dream land because of its luxuriance. The sage Matanga's asrama was in that region. The brothers went in there only to find it empty but for a solitary figure in the person of Sabari. The rishi and the retinue had attained perfection through spiritual discipline. But the kulapathy of the asrama directed Sabari, the yogini to wait on earth for the arrival of Rama and pay homage to him. This honour and privilege was given to her because of her spiritual excellence though she was born of low parentage. Sabari who was given to prayer and meditation intuited it was Rama who had arrived with his brother. She was extremely happy to know who they were and worshipped the divine brothers to her heart's content and received their blessings before she attained mukti


The next and the most imperative work of the brothers were to find out Sugreeva in that region. On that concern they left the Matanga Asrama and moved about the Pampa, the heaven of peace, the harmless home of birds and beasts, the soul elevating flower garden on earth. It was no wonder that Matanga Maharishi chose this locality as the site for his asrama. Communing with the divine was as much possible here with the senses open as it was possible with the senses shut out. While involuntarily phenomenal grandeur of the panorama of Pampa another counter feeling crossed the mind of Rama and Lakshmana. The pang of their separation from Bharatha due to family commitments and that from Sita due to extraneous forces prevented them from being fully absorbed in the divinity of the apparently mundane locality. Lakshmana was still hopeful of tracing out the whereabouts of Sita. His gait was therefore imbued with grit and grace. Escorting his brother he marched towards the mound Rishyamuka. The determined approach of the two warriors to Rishyamuka created panic in the monkeys thathad taken refuge there. Many a time they had been harressed in novel ways. And this seemed yet another device to tease and torture them. Therefore leaving Anjaneya behind, to encounter the assailants, the other four monkeys took their heels into the Matanga asrama precincts. The spiritual atmosphere of that asrama was such that safety was assured to all beings that went into it. But Anjaneya was not in need of any such protection. He was the only entity who faced all the eventualities with evenness of mind and who invariably became victorious in all of his undertakings. So he stayed to face the situation.

As Rama and Lakshmana came along, Anjenaya gazed at them and interrogated, "You beings of conflicting demeanour, who and what are you about?" For this question Lakshmana gave an answer asking Anjenaya what is the conflict he sees in the brothers. Anjenaya told that they looked like devas and arrayed like ascetics but with deadly weapons. He also conveyed that they look like perfected beings who neither seek nor avoid, but they seemed to be searching for something which they have lost. After hearing this Rama and Lakshmana decided to pick up friendship with him thinking that he will be beneficial to them. Lakshmana related in brief particulars about themselves up to the loss of Sita. He added that Kapandha released by the brother from a curse, became Danu, a celestial, and instructed them to seek the aid of Sugreeva for the recovery of Sita. Anjaneya also known as Hanuman and as Maruthi, was delighted over this new contact and friendship and promised that he will help them in locating Sita. He introduced himself as a minister of the fugitive monkey king Sugreeva and offered to carry the brothers to the hiding place of his king. Anjenaya told Sugreeva of the plight of the newly come brothers.

In his turn Sugreeva narrated to Rama how his brother Valli misunderstood him, how he took possession of his wife and drove him away. Both of them were in the same sorry situation. Rama could solve Sugreeva's problem and Sugreeva could solve Rama's problem. They lit fire, walked round it and took pledge for mutual help and friendship. Exactly at that time, the imprisoned Sita's left eye throbbed which is considered to be a good omen for woman. Rama was found but Sugreeva to be disconsolate over the loss of Sita. So he persuaded the grieved prince to pick up courage and he offered to find out Sita wherever she was concealed. He also recounted his seeing a young woman being carried in the air by a rakshasa, his hearing her cry out to Rama and Lakshmana and his picking up and preserving a bundle of ornaments dropped down by her in his midst. Asked by Rama he brought out a yellow scarf and the jewels. Rama recognized them as the belongings of Sita and gave vent to a fresh feeling of sorrow. Then he asked his brother to scrutinize the articles. But Lakshmana could only recognize only the anklet and not the bangles and necklaces. This was due to seeing the feet only of Sita during his daily prostration before her.