The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode we had witnessed one of the most inmportant events of the entire Ramayana text wherein Hanuman finally spots Sita after a treacherous effort of search that spanned all over the city of Lanka, including Ravana’s “Pushpaka Vimana” and various areas of Ravana’s palace. As Hanuman searches through the “Ashoka Vana” for one final attempt, he is able to spot this woman who is surrounded by around 14,000 demonesses guarding her 24*7. Tears are flowing from her eyes all the time. A big sorrow surrounded her life and it loomed large on her beautiful face! As Hanuman recollects the various identification marks that Rama had mentioned to him, and also from his own memory of seeing her once, he finds out that all these identities matched perfectly with this particular woman! Thus Hanuman concludes that finally he has seen Goddess Sita Devi! His happiness knew no bounds as he immediately worships Lord Rama from that very place and thanks him for giving the opportunity to witness Sita Devi.

“Raama shokaabi santapthaa yaa devi vaama lochanaa!

Sandhyaa kalahamaanaasyaam dhromeshapi cha jaanaki!!”

Thus Hanuman has a look at Sita as he is in tears of joy and happiness! Valmiki Maharishi gives a detailed description as to how Sita looked like at this point:

“Sadarsha abi dhoorastham taithyah praasaadhamoorjitham!

Tatho malina sampeethaam raakshaseebhir samaavruthaam!!”

He explains that Sita was just dressed in a single cloth that seemed unwashed for so many months. She was looking tired and dirty, as she hadn’t taken a bath for months together! Since she hasn’t had proper food too, her body had become slim. However, her charisma on her face remained the same with all her beauty in her eyes! She was having Rama in her mind and heart, every single minute! She was longing to see her Rama and to hug him with her. Seeing this, Hanuman thinks within himself,

“Priyanjanam apashyantheem pashyantheem raakshasee ganam!”

“Oh!! What a sad sight! Such a beautiful Sita with all her thoughts focused on Lord Rama and who is also the mother for this entire world (“Jagan-Maathaa”) suffering amidst these evil demons and demonesses in this Lanka! What a ghasty sight is this!” Valmiki Maharishi gives a beautiful comparison at this point: He says that Sita is looking like an innocent deer, which was caught in between a group of foxes! Just as how this deer would long to be in the presence of its other fellow deers, Sita was also longing to be in the presence of her beloved Rama!

As Hanuman was thinking on, he also sees around Sita, a bunch of ornaments that were hanging from the smaller branches of the “Simshuba_Vriksha” under which, Sita was sitting. Hanuman recollects, “Oh yes! All these are the ornaments, which Rama had told me as identification marks to trace Sita. All of them are here. Moreover, look at the Godliness in Sita’s face! The surrender of Rama towards Sita and Sita towards Rama look exactly the same! Here, Sita is longing for Rama’s presence. There, Rama is longing for Sita’s presence! Both of their thought processes, surrender, sacrifice and love for each other are exactly the same! This Sita seems like she is exactly made for Rama and Rama seems like he is exactly made for this Sita! How on earth is it possible for a couple to be this similar in everything? I’ve never seen something like this before!”

The readers might remember that, during the “Kishkinta Kaanda” I had mentioned an interesting point – Wherein, when all the Vaanaras were getting ready for the search mission, Hanuman was the only person who was completely out of sorts and totally disinterested in the whole thing! Hanuman at that time was under the impression that, “Oh! Just because of this one woman, why is the entire population of Vaanaras being called for? Can’t Rama live without this woman in his life? Instead why is he troubling everybody around?”

But now, after Hanuman sees Sita Devi he says within himself, “Oh my goodness! What kind of a wrong thought that I was having in my mind! So far I’ve been thinking that Rama is wasting everybody’s time and energy by asking us to search for this Sita! But now I realize that Rama is doing a phenomenal job by waiting for the right time to see this Sita again!”

“Dushkaram krithavaan raamaha heenodha anayaah prabhuhu!

Dhaarayath hyaathmano deham na shokena avaseedathi!!”

Hanuman thus thinks that Rama is doing something that is not possible for others to do – He is waiting patiently to see this Sita again in his life. Similarly, Sita is way too patient to see Rama again in her life! Rama should have given up his life because of the huge sorrow that he is undergoing currently! However Rama is alive and fully motivated to fight Ravana, finish him off and see Sita again!

Thus, Hanuman spots Sita, (who is perfectly made for Rama) in the Ashoka Vana. His mission is half-over now! The next part of the mission is that he should somehow converse with Sita, let her know that Rama is on the way to protect her. How did he manage to do that? Was he able to talk to Sita straightaway? What happened next? The action continues in the next episode!

In the previous episode we had witnessed the important event wherein Hanuman prepares himself to search for Sita amidst the beautiful Ashoka Vana. Vaalmiki Maharishi gives a detailed accord on the beauty of this particular forest. It had tall lush green Ashoka trees that were so scenic in beauty amidst a few streams of pure water that were like crystals! Apart from all these, there were a few hill-like structures that added to the beauty of the place. These hill-like structures were completely covered with small plants, herbs, shrubs and grass that looked like a lush green blanket that covered the earth surface! With all such explanations, we can imagine how beautiful the Ashoka Vana would have been!

Upon seeing all this, Hanuman was extremely impressed and carried away by its beauty! There were some other trees that had flowers in the colour of gold, silver, etc. These added to the beauty of the place. As Hanuman flies past all these trees, the flowers that were hanging from the branches cover his body completely! It looked as if Hanuman was dressed with all these flowers from the trees! As Hanuman goes deeper and deeper into this forest, his happiness also grew to a great extent!

At one spot, Hanuman finds a place wherein there is a huge palace-like structure that was shining with gold coating all over it. Besides this golden palace there is a big platform-like structure for people to sit and relax, amidst all the trees and natural beauty around. Besides this platform-like structure there is also a stream of fast flowing water, which was as pure as crystals! The water is so sweet in taste that someone would never go off this place for an entire lifetime! Beside the stream there is a huge banyan tree with innumerable branches all over the place. This tree is called the “Simshuba-Vriksha” (According to the Valmiki Ramayana text). Hanuman becomes so impressed upon seeing this particular tree that he wanted to sit amidst the branches for a while and observe the place from this point.

As Hanuman was silently observing everything around the tree, he was thinking within himself and praying to Lord Rama that this should be the successful attempt to find Sita.

“Namosthu raamaaya sa lakshmanaaya! Dhegveija tasmai janakaathmajaayai!

Namosthu rudhrendha anirebhyaha! Namosthu chandraaya maruthganebhyaha!!”

Thus, Hanuman was praying to Lord Rama, Lakshmana, all the Devas, Rudhra (Lord Shiva), Chandra (Moon) and the “Maruth-Ghanaas” (Celestial Beings) that all of them should bless him so as to find Sita! As he was in his prayers, he spots a young woman sitting right beneath one of the biggest branches of the “Simshuba-Vriksha”. She is so beautiful in appearance and she seems to have all the qualities and identities to be a mighty queen of a mighty kingdom! However she is all in tears and at sea! She is being guarded by around 14,000 Raakshasis (Demonesses) 24*7. She seems as if she was missing someone or something greatly in life!

When Hanuman spots this woman, he wants to have a closer look at her and hence he climbs down a few branches. Upon having a closer look, Hanuman recollects the identities that Rama had given to identify Sita. As Hanuman tries to match each identity, he figures out slowly that this woman is none other than Goddess Sita Devi herself!

“Drishtvaa sarvaani bhoothaani vasanthaiva bhejire!”

Thus, in this part of the Ashoka Vana and under this “Simshuba-Vriksha” Hanuman spots Goddess Sita finally – After searching at innumerable places and after innumerable failed attempts! Upon seeing Sita Devi, Hanuman was so impressed and was in tears of joy and ultimate happiness! Atlast Hanuman had tasted success in his mission! His hard work and his relentless efforts finally paid off! He has had the most unique opportunity to see Sita Devi, which none of the Vaanaras had! He was overwhelmed with himself and thanked Lord Rama for the immense grace that he had showered upon him! Thus, the moment Hanuman set his sight on Sita Devi, he immediately places her in his mind near to Lord Rama! Such was the level of devotion that Hanuman had for his hero – Lord Rama!

For today, let Hanuman rejoice upon seeing Sita! We shall also join hands with Hanuman ji to rejoice and enjoy the success of the mission! What a happy moment! 🙂

What was Hanuman’s reaction after finding Sita? What was his thought process? What happened next? Let’s wait to answer all these questions in the next episode! 🙂

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Hanuman gives a second attempt of search after a brief period of demotivation and depression. He motivates himself quickly, gets up and starts to search Lanka again, nook and corner. However he searches, he wasn’t able to find any trace of Sita! At this point Hanuman becomes surprised and sad at the same time! At one side he thinks that it’s a mystery that he’s unable to find Sita even after such a lot of extensive searching. On the other side he becomes sad once more that his efforts have gone in vain! He is now upset to the highest extent possible.

Thus Hanuman is feeling upset and demotivated for the second time during the search operation. He is not getting a way out of this problem. Rather, he feels bad and afraid that he has undertaken a mission that is too complex to handle! He is scared that Sugriva and Rama would punish him heavily. More than even the punishment that he would receive, Hanuman was deeply concerned about Rama – What would happen to Rama if he comes to know that his beloved Sita is not to be found anywhere? This was Hanuman’s biggest concern. However, as Hanuman was thinking thus, he recalls the words of Sampaathi – The king of eagles, who revealed to the Vaanaras that Sita is in Lanka. Hanuman now thinks within himself, “If Sampaathi had told something, and if Mainaaka, Surasa and Lankini have all reiterated the fact that Sita is in Lanka, then their words cannot be false! If there is a fault somewhere, it cannot be with this many people – All of these people cannot be wrong at the same time! So, the fault and the mistake is with me! I’m the person who is at fault!”

Thinking thus, Hanuman looks around him and suddenly spots a lush green forest full of “Ashoka” trees. It was called the “Ashoka-Vana”. At once, Hanuman realized that he hadn’t searched this particular forest area! How come he missed this beautiful place unsearched and unexplored? Hanuman at once gets ready to search again! The motivation is back! The depression has vanished! Hanuman is now back in action – But this time, a little bit more cautious and slow in approach. As he gets up, the first thing that he does is to offer his heart-felt prayers to his Lord Rama, Sugriva, Sita and all the Celestial beings around him. Hanuman says thus, “Oh Lord Rama! So far I’ve been having this thought that it is me who is searching Sita all the way! But now I pray to you that you’ve to show your Sita to me! Perhaps, because I’m thinking that I’m the person searching for Sita, she does not like it. Now I surrender to both Sita and Rama’s feet!Oh Rama! Please show your beloved wife Sita’s whereabouts! It is with your grace that I’ve to worship her! Oh Sita Devi!! Mother of this universe! Please reveal your whereabouts to me! I’m surrendering all my efforts to your divine feet!”

“Kshipram udhpathatho manye seethaam maathaaya rakshasaha!

Raavanashya guruvegena kruthaabhyaam peedithena cha!!”

Thus through his prayers, Hanuman completely surrenders to the divine feet of Lord Rama and Mother Sita Devi! This is also a very important lesson for all of us – Many a times, we have this “Head-weight” that “It is we who are executing the task!” But we should always keep in mind that there is Bhagawan above us who is making things happen. Hence, we should make it a point that we invoke Bhagawan’s blessings in all what we do! Once that happens, even tough tasks would become a cake-walk and we shall be able to finish things with ease and with less efforts!

This is what exactly Hanuman too does here! He invokes the blessings of his Lord Rama and Sita for the task to get executed properly. He now goes into the Ashoka Vana. Here he traverses through all the beautiful Ashoka trees, which were tall and lush green! Hanuman is completely moved and impressed by the natural and the scenic beauty of the “Ashoka Vana”!

Now, did Hanuman succeed in finding Sita? Did Goddess Sita show herself to Hanuman? What happened next? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out! 🙂

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Hanuman gives a second attempt of search after a brief period of demotivation and depression. He motivates himself quickly, gets up and starts to search Lanka again, nook and corner. However he searches, he wasn’t able to find any trace of Sita! At this point Hanuman becomes surprised and sad at the same time! At one side he thinks that it’s a mystery that he’s unable to find Sita even after such a lot of extensive searching. On the other side he becomes sad once more that his efforts have gone in vain! He is now upset to the highest extent possible.

Thus Hanuman is feeling upset and demotivated for the second time during the search operation. He is not getting a way out of this problem. Rather, he feels bad and afraid that he has undertaken a mission that is too complex to handle! He is scared that Sugriva and Rama would punish him heavily. More than even the punishment that he would receive, Hanuman was deeply concerned about Rama – What would happen to Rama if he comes to know that his beloved Sita is not to be found anywhere? This was Hanuman’s biggest concern. However, as Hanuman was thinking thus, he recalls the words of Sampaathi – The king of eagles, who revealed to the Vaanaras that Sita is in Lanka. Hanuman now thinks within himself, “If Sampaathi had told something, and if Mainaaka, Surasa and Lankini have all reiterated the fact that Sita is in Lanka, then their words cannot be false! If there is a fault somewhere, it cannot be with this many people – All of these people cannot be wrong at the same time! So, the fault and the mistake is with me! I’m the person who is at fault!”

Thinking thus, Hanuman looks around him and suddenly spots a lush green forest full of “Ashoka” trees. It was called the “Ashoka-Vana”. At once, Hanuman realized that he hadn’t searched this particular forest area! How come he missed this beautiful place unsearched and unexplored? Hanuman at once gets ready to search again! The motivation is back! The depression has vanished! Hanuman is now back in action – But this time, a little bit more cautious and slow in approach. As he gets up, the first thing that he does is to offer his heart-felt prayers to his Lord Rama, Sugriva, Sita and all the Celestial beings around him. Hanuman says thus, “Oh Lord Rama! So far I’ve been having this thought that it is me who is searching Sita all the way! But now I pray to you that you’ve to show your Sita to me! Perhaps, because I’m thinking that I’m the person searching for Sita, she does not like it. Now I surrender to both Sita and Rama’s feet! Oh Rama! Please show your beloved wife Sita’s whereabouts! It is with your grace that I’ve to worship her! Oh Sita Devi!! Mother of this universe! Please reveal your whereabouts to me! I’m surrendering all my efforts to your divine feet!”

“Kshipram udhpathatho manye seethaam maathaaya rakshasaha!

Raavanashya guruvegena kruthaabhyaam peedithena cha!!”

Thus through his prayers, Hanuman completely surrenders to the divine feet of Lord Rama and Mother Sita Devi! This is also a very important lesson for all of us – Many a times, we have this “Head-weight” that “It is we who are executing the task!” But we should always keep in mind that there is Bhagawan above us who is making things happen. Hence, we should make it a point that we invoke Bhagawan’s blessings in all what we do! Once that happens, even tough tasks would become a cake-walk and we shall be able to finish things with ease and with less efforts!

This is what exactly Hanuman too does here! He invokes the blessings of his Lord Rama and Sita for the task to get executed properly. He now goes into the Ashoka Vana. Here he traverses through all the beautiful Ashoka trees, which were tall and lush green! Hanuman is completely moved and impressed by the natural and the scenic beauty of the “Ashoka Vana”!

Now, did Hanuman succeed in finding Sita? Did Goddess Sita show herself to Hanuman? What happened next? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out! 🙂

 

In the previous episode we witnessed an important point wherein Hanuman was seemingly losing interest in the search operation owing to the failure that he had encountered so far. All his efforts to find out Sita had turned futile upto this point. This led Hanuman to have doubts, one after the other in his mind. Even after lot of pondering, his doubts never eased out. In due course, we also witnessed a very important modern-day societal problem of why many people go into mental depression and some even to the extent of committing suicides. We saw that the problem of “demotivation” is the root cause of all these problems that happen in the modern day society.

Thus Hanuman motivates himself once more and decides to re-start his search operation once again from the scratch! He backs himself up and starts to search each and every nook and corner of Lanka city. He traverses through each house, forts, palaces, gardens, ponds, lakes, tunnels, rivers, etc. There is no one place in Lanka city that Hanuman has not examined! There is no one place in Lanka city that Hanuman has not visited. Anywhere and everywhere Hanuman goes, he is still unable to find Sita! He is only able to find the wives of Ravana but not Sita! He is only able to find those women who Ravan had abducted and imprisoned, but not Sita!

After the second huge search operation, Hanuman is now completely tired physically and mentally! He is at the top of his frustration at the moment! He again thinks to himself, “Oh my goodness! What is going on here? I’ve visited and searched every nook and corner of this Lanka city and how come I’m still unable to find Sita anywhere? This is so strange!” Hanuman couldn’t understand the mystery behind this. He is getting upset and frustrated by the moment! He now thinks, “What should I do now? Anyway, all my efforts to cross the ocean and undertake the search operation has gone waste! Initially when I won over Lankini, I thought that this night would be victorious for me! But all my efforts have gone in vain for the second time now! Should I put an end to my life? Should I give up the search operation completely?”

Hanuman continues to get more doubts in his mind now, “Whatever might have been the case, is Sita just another ordinary woman? Would she have obliged to Ravana’s request and did she end up marrying this wicked person? Isn’t she a unique woman in this world who is an epitome of a “Pathi-Vratha”? If yes, why is that I’m unable to trace any of her whereabouts still, even after this much of searching? Now if I go and say to Rama that Sita isn’t to be found, won’t he burn me to ashes?” Thinkning thus, Hanuman started to have fear too!

“Else, should I go now and kill Ravana? Atleast if I’m unable to find Sita, I would be satisfied that I’ve successfully taken revenge on the Demon king for what he did! Else, should I fight over, defeat and drag Ravana to Lord Rama’s feet? What should I do now?”

“Bhooyuktham lolitham lankaam raamasya charithaapriyam!

Nathi pashyaami vaidehim seetham sarvaanga shobanaam!!”

Hanuman continues his thougt process, “Moreover, Sampaathi had specifically told us that Sita is definitely in Lanka! It is only by his words we’ve come across the ocean this far to search! How can Sampaathi’s words be false? Sampathi, Lankini, Mainaaka, Surasa – All these people tell only one thing – Sita is in Lanka. I don’t think these many people would be telling the wrong thing. So I think the problem is only with me! It is me who is making a mistake somewhere!”

Thinking thus, Hanuman looks around Ravana’s palace and finds a plush place with lush green trees and full of scenic beauty. That place was nothing but the “Ashoka Vana”. Hanuman realizes now that he had made a big mistake by not searching this particular place! Now he thinks, “Oh my goodness! I’ve made a big mistake! How on earth did I not search this particular forest area? This is close to Ravana’s palace and is very beautiful! Why shoulnd’t Ravana keep Sita here? I shall search this very moment!”

Thinking thus, he slowly gets up from where he was sitting this long! He gets prepared to search, but this time, with lot of unwillingness! He was thinking within himself, “Atleaast will this effort yield results?”

Did it yield the result? Did Hanuman succeed in finding Sita in this “Ashoka Vana”? Let’s wait and witness the action in the next episode!

In the previous episode we witnessed an important message through Hanuman wherein Valmiki Maharishi explained to us as to how significant is our mind while undertaking important tasks. We noted that if our mind is cheerful, any complex task can be accomplished by us with ease. If on the contrary, even an easy task would seem to be the most complex one to fulfill.

Having seen that, we witnessed that as Hanuman continues searching the nook and corner of Ravana’s palace and his “Anthah-Pura”, he is unable to find Sita in any of these locations. Hanuman has seen every other woman in Ravana’s palace except for Sita! After lot of searching, Hanuman starts having doubts and concerns in his mind. He clearly is demotivated and upset with himself! His first concern was whether Ravana has killed Sita because she did not pay heed to his request to marry her and be his wife. If this wasn’t the case, Hanuman’s second concern was whether Sita killed herself unable to bare the tortures of these Raakshasas.

Getting confused between the two, at one point Hanuman tends to conclude that this search operation is in vein and Sita is no more alive! He starts to think what would happen if he goes and tells to Rama that Sita is dead. Hanuman thinks within himself, “The moment Rama listens to this, he will be dead the next moment! Seeing Rama die, how can Lakshmana stand it? Similarly, Bharata, Shathrugna and the entire Ikshvaaku Dynasty would be no more! Just because of this one person called Hanuman, why should an entire kingdom come to an end? If I go to Kishkinta without the news about Sita, I’m sure all this would happen! Hence, I would not want to go there unless and until I find some information about Sita from somewhere!”

Thus Hanuman musters up his courage a little bit and thinks what to do further – What if he stays in Lanka itself, without going back to Kishkinta? Hanuman thinks, “If I’m not going back to the other side, what should I do sitting here? Maybe I can continue searching for a few more days. But even after that, what if I’m unable to trace Sita? Maybe I can kill myself and end my life here only! Atleast let Rama think that Hanuman has gone to search Sita and is still searching for her! Never should Rama come to a conclusion that Sita is no more to be seen!” Thinking thus, Hanuman gets more and more frustrated within himself!

Here is an illustration as to what happens when we panic during the time when the going gets tough. As we panic, our frustration level would increase and hence we would tend to give up the mission in the middle, rather than fighting the tough situation till the end to achieve success. Isn’t this a very important lesson for our modern day leaders and managers? Let’s take some time and think about it!

“Drishtam anthah purah sarvam dristhaa raakshasayojithaaha!”

Thus, Hanuman is frustrated that all his efforts of searching in Ravana’s palace and Anthah Pura have gone in absolute vain! Moreover, Hanuman thinks now, “Oh! This Jaambhavaan and Angadha were all in praise of me before I crossed the ocean and they motivated me to the core! At that time, I should have realized that this task is not an easy one to complete! However, I was carried away by their motivating and inspiring words and now I’m in soup! If I go back to Jaambhavaan and tell him that I couldn’t find Sita, what would he think about me? Won’t I feel embarrassed standing in front of him?”

“Anirvedhasshriyo moolam anirvedhah param sukham!

Bhooyastathra visheshyaami nayathra vijayah kruthaha!!”

After a brief moment of frustration, Hanuman quickly regains his motivation and confidence. He now thinks within himself, “Oh my God! Why am I suddenly feeling so frustrated with myself? I’ve never felt such demotivated in my life so far! Any work to be accomplished requires motivation, isn’t it? I should never give up my motivation at any cost! So let me try and search again!”

Thus we can see at this point, the importance of “Motivation” (“Uthsaaham” or “Anirvedham”). It is important as a human being to have this motivation within us always. Anyway, we’ve taken this birth and we’ve to live through it, come what may! Irrespective of a thousand losses or a thousand bad situations! We’ve got no other choice but to face them. Irrespective of we gain or lose, we’ve to keep living our life.

Nowadays, we see many people wanting to commit suicides (“Aathma-Hatthi”). Why do we see all this? The very thought of committing a suicide is a momentous feeling. If we try and bring them out of that suicidal thought at that particular moment, we can easily save their life. People try to commit suicide because they fail to realize the beauty of life at that point. Their sorrows and sufferings deter them from seeing the other side of life! If someone explains to them convincingly that life is much more beautiful than what is actually happening currently, they can be saved and they can carry on with life. Hence for all this, “Motivation” is extremely important. This is why we give lot of emphasis on this concept in modern-day Behavioral Sciences. This is also one reason why many people go into depression – At times, we do not understand the purpose of our life and we get carried away with unwanted things that cause sorrow!

Thus Hanuman at this point is facing a similar situation of “Depression” and “De-motivation”. How is he going to come out of it? How is he going to more forward? The action continues in the next episode!

 

 

 

 

Till now we’ve witnessed Hanuman’s search for Sita in Lanka in detail. We’ve seen that Hanuman enters Lanka after defeating Lankini and starts to search through various locations in the city. Finally after searching here and there, Hanuman reaches Ravana’s magnificent palace wherein he searches place after place. He searches through the “Pushpaka Vimana”, then comes to the chambers of different ministers and chiefs of Ravana, comes to Ravana’s own chamber, sees him fast asleep, searches through the women who were sleeping around him. Finally in the previous episode we witnessed Hanuman’s search in Ravana’s “Paanaga Shaala” wherein he was able to see different kinds of juices and drinks stored in different kinds of vessels. Even there, he was able to see innumerable women sleeping in a half drunk or fully drunk state. They didn’t know what they were doing! Some women were extremely talented in impressing Ravana with their skills on playing different instruments. Hanuman was searching his way through all these women, thinking if someone among these could be Sita! However, his search was completely in vein! His efforts turned futile!

At this point in time, Hanuman started having doubts in his mind. They started creeping inside slowly one after the other. The first doubt that Hanuman had within himself was that, since he is searching his way among various women, what would happen to his austerity of being a “Brahmachaari”? Normally, a person who is a “Naishtika Brahmachaari” never goes near a woman or never indulges in any kind of relationships with women. But here, Hanuman feels that he is crossing his limits! However he consoles himself because of the fact that since Sita is a woman, he obviously has to search a woman only amongst women! He cannot search for a woman amidst men! Hence that doubt is cleared now. Moreover, although he sees lot of beautiful women, their beauty never carries Hanuman away. Rather, he is focused completely on his mission and his mind knew nothing other than that.

This is an important lesson to learn for leaders and managers – If a mission is undertaken, external disturbances that might hinder our progress shouldn’t carry us away. Rather, our focus should only be on the task in hand and the mission in the mind. Valmiki Maharishi beautifully explains this lesson for us in the following sloka:

“Manohi hethuhu sarveshaam indriyaanaam pravarthane!

Na thubhe manasaa kinchith vaikrithyam upapadhyathe!!”

Here, Valmiki Maharishi clearly explains that our mind is the one, which is responsible for all the actions that we perform. If our mind is not in a proper mood, we would not be able to accomplish anything in life! At all times, we should ensure that we keep our mood bright and cheerful. In other words, we should keep motivating ourselves every now and then. Here comes the importance of self-motivaiton. If the mind is cheerful, even tough tasks would become a cake walk! If the mind is not cheerful, even the easiest task would seem too tough to finish! Lord Krishna too gives lot of emphasis on how to mend our mind and keep it in good shape. He says,

“Manayevahi manushyaanaam kaaranam bandha mokshayoho!”

Here, Lord Krishna says, “Oh Arjuna! Please realize that it is this mind that is responsible for you attaining “Moksha” or “Salvation”. He continues saying,

“Aathmaivahi aathmano bandhuhu aathmaiva ripuraathmanaha!!”

Lord Krishna continues, “Oh Arjuna! Please realize that your mind can be both your friend as well as your enemy! If your mind is detached from all worldly affairs, your mind is the best friend of yours! Whereas, if you get carried away by all the worldly pleasures, your mind can become your worst enemy!”

Hence from both the Ramayana and the Bhagawad Gita, it is important for all of us to learn that our mind is the root cause for our happiness as well as sadness, and we should keep constantly motivating our mind to progress forward in our mission. It is for this reason, Hanuman checks if his mind is in proper shape. He is trying to motivate himself to progress further in his mission of finding Sita.

Thus moving on, Hauman completes the search at the “Paanaga Shaala”. By now Hanuman has searched nook and corner of Ravana’s palace. He has seen various women from various places, castes and communities, except Sita! He has even seen the wives of the Devas being imprisoned by Ravana. He was torturing them. However, amidst all of these women, Hanuman was never able to spot or trace the whereabouts of Sita!

Now, Hanuman starts getting worried. Lot of questions start running through his mind at this point. He now goes to one corner of the “Paanaga Shaala” and sits down for a moment. He thinks within himself, “Should I continue this futile attempt of searching or not? However I search, I’m unable to find Sita! How can this be possible? Should I give it up at this point and return back?”

Thinking thus, Hanuman is now having some serious concerns. His first concern was that, has Ravana killed Sita because she shouldn’t have paid heed to his request of marrying him. If that is not the case, has Sita killed herself unable to bare the torture of these Raakshasas? Anyway now I’m not able to find Sita. What would happen if I go back to Kishkinta with this bad news? If I’m going to stay back in Lanka for some more days, what would happen if I do not return to Mahendra Giri within the stipulated time as promised?

Such were the questions that Hanuman has in his mind now. Did he find answers to all these questions? What did he do next? Did he proceed with his search or did he give it up? Let’s wait to witness all the action in the next episode!!

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Hanuman is searching his way through different areas of Ravana’s magnificent palace. He initially started with the “Pushpaka Vimana”, moved on to the different chambers of Ravana’s ministers and chiefs, the came down to the central courtyard, then moved on to the chamber where Ravana himself was fast asleep and searching through Ravana’s “Anthah-Pura” wherein all his wives were fast asleep! Eventually, Hanuman also sees Ravana’s most beloved wife, Mandodari who was shining like a brilliant light amongst all other women sleeping there! Upon seeing Mandodari Hanuman was taken aback for a moment and wondered if she might be Sita. But after a few minutes, Hanuman realizes that if this woman is in Ravana’s bed enjoying all the luxuries, then surely she wouldn’t be Sita! Hanuman knows the “Pathi-Vratha” nature of Goddess Sita and decides that this woman in Ravana’s chamber is someone else and not Sita.

“Taasaam ekanthabhinyasmai shayaanaam shayane shubhe!

Mukthaamani samaayukthaihi bhushanischa vibhushithaam!!

Gaureem kanaka varnaabhaam ishtaam anthah pureshvareem!!”

Thus, Valmiki Maharishi beautifully explains how Hanuman gets to see Mandodhari. He describes Mandodhari as “Gaureem kanaka varnaabhaam ishtaam anthah pureshvareem”, Which means that Mandodhari was the leader for all the women in Ravana’s “Anthah-Pura” and she was glittering like gold!

Thus as Hanuman finishes searching the entire “Anthah-Pura”, he next sees a huge kitchen and a “Paanaga-Shaala” attached to it.  Normally “Paanaga-Shaala” is the place where different kinds of drinks are prepared and served. As Hanuman moves towards the “Paanaga-Shaala” he’s able to smell the sweet aroma emanating from all the drinks that were stored there. Here, Valmiki Maharishi beautifully describes this place – He says that the aroma emanating from the place is inviting Hanuman to come towards it!

Hanuman accepts the invitation and goes into the “Paanaga-Shaala”. Here he is able to see various men and women lying down in a drunken state! Hanuman starts to check out each woman lying there, to see if any one of them would be Sita! As he searches on, he is able to witness some fascinating scenes here – Valmiki Maharishi gives a beautiful accord of the scene. He explains how different women tried to please Ravana differently so as to earn his love and care – For instance; there was one woman who tried to impress Ravana with her dancing skills. She was dressed beautifully with all the costumes and was sleeping with all those on her body! There was another woman who was an expert in playing an instrument called “Mattooham” (An instrument mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana but I do not know if this instrument still exists today!) Another woman was an expert in playing the veena and out of tiredness, was fast asleep by hugging the veena along with her! Another woman was an expert in playing the mridangam (A famous percussion instrument, which is prominently in use for modern-day Carnatic music concerts) and tried to impress Ravana with her skills. Eventually she too was tired and kept the mridangam as her pillow as she dozed off! In this way, Hanuman was able to see various women who were experts in their own domains and tried to impress Ravana with their expertise.

All these women are lying beside each other and out of their extreme tiredness, were in a state of deep sleep. During their sleep, they were in imagination that Ravana is sleeping beside them. As a result, they turn towards each other, hug and kiss each other as if they were doing it to Ravana. Thus, Hanuman was seeing all this as he was searching for Sita!

As he was checking each woman there, Hanuman also sees different kinds of juices and drinks kept at one corner of the room. Valmiki Maharishi again gives a detailed accord on the kitchen – He says that the drinks contained the essence of various items such as the meat of animals, some birds, etc. mixed with the essences of fruits and vegetables. The juices and drinks were of seven different tastes (Shad-Rasas) including sweet, sour, bitter, etc. In one corner, these drinks were present in beautifully made cups. Some of the cups were full with drinks, whereas some were half-full and the rest were emptied! At one corner, all the raw materials that were used to prepare various food items were stored. Another corner contained all the used vessels that were unwashed. Another corner had some utensils that were unused and broken.

Thus, Hanuman passes through all this and the search operation for Sita is become more and more strenuous by the moment. Amidst all these women, Hanuman was not able to find even a trace of Sita in any of them! He was able to see different women from different origins, except Sita! At this point, after undertaking extensive searches in almost all possible places, Hanuman starts having doubts in his mind. He is getting worried and starts to panic.

What were the doubts that he started to have? Can a person of Hanuman’s stature panic down? Why did he do so? Did he give up the search operation? Let’s wait to find out in the next episode!

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Hanuman has reached Ravana’s mighty palace, by crossing over numerous points. In the meanwhile, Hanuman also searches his way through the “Pushpaka Vimana” of Ravana, the houses of all his ministers and chiefs to find if Sita was kept hidden somewhere in any of these places. However, Hanuman failed to find Sita anywhere.

Now Hanuman comes back to the main courtyard of Ravana’s magnificent palace. He now goes into the place where Ravana himself was sleeping! Valmiki Maharishi goes on to describe the exorbitant beauty of Ravana’s inner courtroom where he was asleep! The cot on which Ravana was sleeping was made with gold of the highest quality and purity! It was adorned with several pearls and gems that were extremely expensive and abnormal in nature. Adorning Ravana, there were innumerable lamps that added to the beauty of the entire place.

Amdist all this, Hanuman sees Ravana sleeping on this beautiful cot! He has a closer look at Ravana now. At one moment he was awestruck with Ravana’s charisma that reflected on his face while sleeping – If there was one king in this world who deserved to be praised and worshipped for what he is, it was Ravana! However, although Hanuman was admiring Ravana, he knows that this same Ravana had committed the biggest ever crime in this world by abducting Sita! So he has an angry look at him. Moreover, since Ravana was wicked, his bad “aura” was radiating all around him and this pushed Hanuman to take a step back! Hanuman thinks within himself “Oh my goodness! At the beginning of the search I was thinking that I could find Sita easily in this Lanka city, however, I’m still unable to find Sita, but I’m seeing this wicked Ravana first! What a pity!”

Thinking thus, he takes a step backwards and enters Ravana’s bedroom from a different window. Now he is able to see numerous women sleeping around Ravana’s cot! Each woman had her own beauty and it was indescribable! Hanuman thinks within himself, “Oh my God! While looking at all these women, I think this Ravana is a womanizer! He had defeated various kings all over the world and has abducted all their wives!”

“Yaahi vaishravane lakshmeehi yaa chandre hari vaahane!

Yaa cha raagnyah kuberasya yamasya varunasya cha!!

Taadvisheethadh vishishtaavaa vrudhi rakshomireshgruha!

Adhyaktham chaktha manasaha raavanovaa varah sthriayaha!!

Yuddha kaamenakaa sarvaa raavanena hithaah sthriyaha!!”

Thus Valmiki Maharishi describes the innumerable women who were sleeping around Ravana. Hanuman thinks within himself, “This Ravana has imprisoned all these innocent women in his palace! I should somehow release all of them!” As Hanuman was thinking thus, he commences his search for Sita. He starts going near each of the women and checks if this woman would perhaps be Sita! As Hanuman goes near each woman, he is not even getting a clue that she would be Sita! It is to be remembered that Hanuman had once seen a glimpse of Sita from Kishkinta, when Ravana was abducting her! Having that glimpse in his mind, Hanuman is searching for Sita amidst all the women! However, he wasn’t able to match Sita’s form in his mind with any of those women! Moreover, Hanuman thinks within himself as he searches on, “Oh! Sita is a unique woman who is completely devoted to her husband! Will she even think in her wildest dreams to share a bed with Ravana?”

“Tathra divyopamam mukhyam sphaatikam rathna bhooshitham!”

As Hanuman searches on amidst the “Anthah-Pura” of Ravana, he is unable to find Sita anywhere! Normally, it is to be noted that in those days, every king had the practice of having an “Anthah-Pura”, which is solely dedicated to his wife (or wives). Of course it should also be remembered that in olden days, it was a common practice for kings to have more than one wife!

As Hanuman searches on, he comes to a place where he finds a cot that is made of pure gold and diamonds adorned all over it! Upon this cot was sleeping a woman who was extraordinarily beautiful! She was none other than one of Ravana’s beloved wives, Mandodhari. Upon seeing Mandodhari, Hanuman initially thinks that she might be Sita! Hence he is happy for a moment that he had at last found Sita after an exorbitant search operation! However, the next moment he realizes that this woman is not Sita but someone else! How can Sita share a bed with a wicked king like Ravana? Hanuman realizes that this doesn’t fit Sita’s high stature as a “Pathi-vratha!” (Completely devoted towards husband). Hence he understood that this woman was not Sita!

Now, Hanuman has completely searched the “Anthah-pura” of Ravana. He was able to find innumerable women, but not Sita! He was able to find wives of different kings from various kingdoms, but not Sita! He was even able to find the wives of Devas (Celestial beings), but not Sita! As Hanuman feels demotivated and depressed, he looks at other places where he could extend the search operation. Where does he go next? Whom does he find there? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out!

In the previous episode we’ve witnessed that Hanuman finally commences his search operation in Lanka city after defeating the final obstacle, Lankini. He enters into the city and to his delight, found it to be vibrant and charming! Hanuman moves around, searching through different rows of houses, gardens, forests, etc. that came on his way. Finally after roaming around a lot of places, Hanuman reaches the city center wherein Ravana’s palace was located. He was astonished with the beauty of Ravana’s palace and wondered if there was another palace in the entire world that can equal this one in beauty and majesty!

As Hanuman moves into the palace, he passes through the security guards who are protecting the place round the clock with all their dangerous weapons. He enters inside and gets even more astounded with the beauty and architecture of the palace! Also, Hanuman was surprised by the richness and wealth Ravana possessed! It was truly like heaven or a paradise on earth! Such was the nature of Ravana’s palace. Amidst everything, Hanuman sees the “Pushpaka Vimana”, which Ravana had used to abduct Sita. Hanuman was overjoyed by its extraordinary beauty, but at the same time, his anger knew no bounds that it was in this “Vimana” that Ravana abducted Sita! Thus Hanuman enters inside the “Pushpka Vimana” to have a look! The interiors were so appealing that Hanuman was taken aback for a moment! He wondered if he’s still on earth or in heaven! As Hanuman moves around the “Pushpaka Vimana”, he comes across different rooms and chambers within it, that were specially made to suit Ravana’s interest and taste. Hanuman explores through each of the chambers and comes out. He was able to find everything except Sita!

Now, he comes down from the Vimaana and enters into the palace campus again. As Hanuman enters through a different entrance now, he is able to see a beautiful row of chambers, which house all of Ravana’s ministers.

“Keelaa gruhaani chaanyaani dhaaru parvatha kaanicha!

Dadarsha raakshasendrasya raavansya nivesane!!

Samandhara samah prakhyam mayurasthaana sankulam!”

Thus, Hanuman crosses over and comes to the chambers of different ministers, army chiefs, etc. Hanuman wonders if Sita would be kept in any of these chambers. Hence he starts searching one after the other!

“Chachaara hanumaanstathra raavanascha sameepathaha!

Brihastasya mahaapaarshvasya kumbakarna niveshanam!!

Bhubluve mahaapathihi mahodharashya vidhujjihvasya!

Vijjyunmaalehe bahudharmstrasya sukhasya mahaaveshaha!!

Saaranasya dheemaha sa indrajith veshma!

Jambumaalehe sumaalescha vachrakaayasya rashmikethoscha!!”

Thus, Vaalmiki Maharishi gives an account of all the names of the Raakshasaas who were Ravana’s ministers. Thus Hanuman searches his way through each of these Raakshasaas’ chambers! He was astonished to see the amount of wealth and richness each of them were possessing. Although Hanuman searches through the nooks and corners of each of these chambers, he was unable to find Sita! Thus he again backtracks through to the place where the Pushpaka Vimana was kept. Now he goes to a different direction and finally enters into Ravana’s own chamber!

As Hanuman crosses through the Pushpaka Vimana again, he remembers the history of it. Originally the Pushpaka Vimana was gifted by Lord Brahma to Kubera (The Lord of all wealth). As Ravana came to know the significance of this Vimaana, he fights over Kubera, defeats him and abducted the Vimana from him. Hence Hanuman recollects this history and realizes that it is this same Vimana that Ravana had abducted.

Now Hanuman comes inside Ravana’s chamber and sees him sleeping! He searches through Ravana’s chamber and finds innumerable women sleeping around him! Hanuman checks through each of the women, thinking if one of them might be Sita! Atlast, Hanuman thought for a moment that finally he had reached the right place to search for Sita! Was Hanuman able to find Sita atleast here? Did the search mission come to an end? The action continues in the next episode!! 🙂