CONTENTS:
- IN FINDING YOU, O SITA DEVI, RAMA WILL COME TO SAVE YOU
- SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
- SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
1. IN FINDING YOU, O SITA DEVI, RAMA WILL COME TO SAVE YOU
Hanuman could not find Sita. Then Hanuman was standing, sitting. He climbed up a tall tree and he was sitting there thinking what to do now. Then he saw that not too far away from that, there was a temple that was standing on thousands pillars and in front of the temple, there is the most beautiful woman dressed in worn out single piece of cloth which was worn out and dirty and she was surrounded by many many rakshasis. Hanuman thought that may be this is Sita and he felt this is how Sita, this must be Sita, in separation of Rama this is how she will actually be like, and he came close to see where Sita was and where he was waiting for the morning, night to be over so that he could think of some way to approach Sita. And in the morning, Ravana, as soon as he woke up, he was so much tormented with afflicted with his desire to get Sita that he was constantly thinking about Sita. Even though surrounded by thousands of most beautiful women, still he was thinking of Sita all the time.
So as soon as he got up, Ravana just came to Asoka grove to Sita and hundred women follow him with different paraphernalia. When Sita saw Ravana coming, she covered herself to the best of her ability. Ravana came and started to appeal to her, to surrender to him, to submit to him, he started to tempt her, he started to frighten her, did all kinds of things. But Sita was unmoved and not only unmoved, when Ravana came, Sita just placed one straw between her and Ravana to indicate that she does not want to deal with him. And Sita told Ravana that “Ravana please give up your desire, give up your desire to get me because you will never get me. Rather with your sinful desire, you simply going to cause your own destruction and not only your destruction, destruction of your entire family, entire race. You still have time to return me to Rama.”
“You are speaking so valiantly now, you are boasting so much. But it is all because Rama is not here. It is all in absence of Rama that you are speaking. You stole me when Rama was not there. So, you know how powerful Rama is. So, why don't you just return me to Rama, because you will never get me?” And in this way, with sharp words, Sita started to insult Ravana. And, when Hanuman heard that, he became excited. "Yes! (Laughs) That's it! Give it to him!" (Laughter). Then, being insulted by Sita in this way, Ravana became very, very angry. He started to hiss like a serpent, venting his anger. Then Ravana shouted that:” I gave you one year’s time. Now, only two months are left. I was thinking that I would give you two more months’ time to decide, but I am just going to chop you to pieces and have you for breakfast." So, seeing Ravana in such an angry mood, Mandodari and Ravana's youngest queen, Dhanyamalini, they just told Ravana. "Ravana, just don't waste your time on this emaciated, ugly woman.
Come with us, let's go to the palace and enjoy with us." Saying that, they took Ravana back to the palace. Then Hanuman, when they were gone and Ravana was gone, he was now confirmed that this is Sita. So, Hanuman started to think: “How to approach her?" So, finally Hanuman decided that he would just sing the glory of Rama, in such a way that only Sita could hear and other Rakshasas, soft enough or loud enough, only for only Sita to hear" And he said:
"Descendant of Iksvaku
King Dasharatha was his name
Righteous and heroic
He ruled Ayodhya of great fame.
Finally receiving four sons
Rama, the darling of his heart
Full of unlimited potencies
Vishnu playing a human part.
To give Kaikeyi her boons
Into exile Rama was sent
Upholder of his father’s vow
With Sita and Laksman, he went.
When Rama killed the Rakshasas
Who filled the rishis with fear
Ravana kidnapped Sita
with the help of Maricha, the deer.
Then while searching for Sita
Rama made Sugriva, his friend
To look in the southern quarter
I, Hanuman, he did send.
After crossing many mountains
I jumped, the ocean wavy
And thus, I succeeded
In finding you, O Sita devi.
Rama will come to save you
His dearly beloved wife
Now, give me some message
To save your husband’s life."
So, this has been translated, this is the Ramayana which has been translated by one of our Godbrothers, Purnaprajna prabhu. This is the one I took it from. When Sita heard the glory of Rama, then she became extremely happy but then she felt that maybe she is dreaming and then she thought that it is extremely inauspicious to see a monkey in a dream. (Laughter) She became so worried and became submerged in anxiety. Now, what is going to happen, now that I had an inauspicious dream but then she felt that in separation of Rama she couldn’t sleep. She never slept since her separation from Rama. So, how could she dream? So, then she realized that this is a real monkey. Then Hanuman also came to her and told her that he was an envoy of Rama. And he came looking for Sita and now, that he found her, he is very, very excited. And then Sita told her story to Hanuman. And then Hanuman assured her, that: "Don't worry, Rama will come and rescue you". He is just waiting to find where you are and now that He found out. And then Hanuman proposed, "Why wait for Rama to come? I can take you across the ocean. Then Sita thought, Sita told: "Your frivolous thoughts are just befitting to a monkey.
How can such a small monkey can take me across? Then Hanuman felt insulted then he assumed his gigantic form then Sita said: "Okay, I can see that you are capable of taking me across but I do not want to go like that. I want Rama to come and rescue me because otherwise it will be a disgrace for Rama if somebody else had to rescue me. I want him to come and rescue me. Then Sita told another thing that: "I cannot touch anyone else besides Rama". In this way she told Hanuman that she couldn’t go like that. So, then Sita told Hanuman one incidence, she said “when you go to Rama please tell him, that when we were in Citrakuth mountain, one day when I was lying on Rama's lap, my head resting on Rama's lap a crow came and attacked me and then, Rama seeing that, Rama woke up, when He saw that the blood was dripping, fell on him. And then he saw it was a crow, and his claws were soaked with blood so He could understand that it was that crow.
So, Rama just took a kusa grass from His seat, from His asana and He empowered that kusa grass to become brahmastra. And He released it to that crow. And that crow ran all over but the brahmastra followed it. And then finally the crow came back to Rama and begged forgiveness. So, Rama then said, "Okay, I'll forgive you but the brahmastra will not go in vain." So, the brahmastra took the eye of that crow. That crow was the son of Indra, Jayantha, in the disguise of a crow. You tell him for a simple crow; Rama could not tolerate his insult to me. And now that this Ravana has stolen me, why he is not coming to rescue me.”. And Hanuman wanted some token to show to Rama. Sita gave the jewel from her head that was given to her by her mother at the time of the wedding. She said: “You can give it to Rama and show to Him. He will remember everything.” Then Hanuman left and Sita repeatedly told him: "Please, ask Rama, to come back quick and rescue me. I have only two months left if Rama does not come, I will give up my body." When Hanuman left Sita, Hanuman thought: “Let me find out the strength of this Ravana and let me create some fear in their heart.
Hanuman started to destroy the garden, Ashoka grove. And he uprooted all the trees, broke the temple and he completely massacred the place. All the guards, they went to Ravana and reported that one monkey has come and done this. Ravana immediately sent his soldiers to kill the monkey. Hanuman knew that this would happen. He was waiting for that. So, he was waiting at the archway at the gateway of the garden. He was sitting on top, waiting for them to come. When the soldiers came, Hanuman expanded himself into a gigantic form and he picked up an iron rod. And just with that iron rod, swinging that iron rod, he just wiped out all those soldiers. And he was fighting, flying, jumping...Like nobody could catch him, nobody could do anything. He was just killing all of them. In practically no time he just wiped out all of them. The news was sent to Ravana, that this is what happened.
Then Ravana sent Prahasta, his general son. So, he came and he hit Hanuman with one arrow the mouth and with ten arrows he pierced his arms but Hanuman was totally unaffected by that. So, he picked up a bolder, a huge stone and hurled it onto him. This person also smashed that thing, the stone with ten arrows. And in this way, they fought for a long time. And then finally, Hanuman just killed him. He just picked up that iron rod and he hurled it so violently that it hit him on his chariot and not only it killed him, it broke his chariot as well. The news was sent to Ravana that this son of his general also died. Then he sent seven sons of his chief minister and Hanuman made a pulp out of these seven sons of the chief minister with the army. Then Ravana sent five generals with their army. Hanuman took care of them as well. When that news came to Ravana, Ravana was really burning with anger and then he looked at his son, who was sitting in the assembly, Aksha and immediately Aksha got the message. Akhsa just got up and went to deal with Hanuman.
Hanuman killed him also and finally Ravana called Indrajit, his eldest son who defeated Indra that is why, his name was Indrajit, one who has defeated Indra. He defeated Indra, captured him, brought him to Lanka. On Brahma's request they let him go. But Indrajit took a boon from Brahma, that he could fight invisibly, from the sky, from the clouds, nobody could see him and he could use the weapons on them. In this way, Ravana’s son Indrajit was called. And Indrajit also found that it was very difficult to deal with Hanuman. He was shooting arrows, but Hanuman’s movement was so fast that he could very easily avoid those arrows. Not only that, Indrajit shot arrows at him and he avoided the arrows and he came to Indrajit and took away his mace. And with the same mace he smashed his chariot, the same club. Finally, Indrajit used the brahmastra to capture Hanuman. Hanuman knew it was that it was brahmastra and Hanuman knew that the brahmastra will not work on him. But he pretended as if he was bound by brahmastra because now he wanted to see Ravana.
He saw their strength, he created, instilled fear in their hearts. And now he wants to go and see Ravana. Have a face-to-face encounter. So, Hanuman tied up with brahmastra, was brought to Ravana. Now in the meantime, when Hanuman was tied up with the brahmastra, other Rakshasas, in order to secure Hanuman more firmly, they tied him up with a rope also. That is another thing also, that when the something else is used to tie him, then the brahmastra becomes nullified but still, Hanuman pretended as if he was bound and he was brought to Ravana. Ravana asked who he was. He just said that he was a monkey. And Ravana asked why he did what he did. So, Hanuman replied that: "I actually wanted to see you, but I know it would have been impossible for me to get your audience, therefore I thought of damaging your garden, destroying your garden, killing your generals, so that they'll bring me to you. Now, I am very happy that I could see you. And then he said that he is the minister of Sugriva.
First, he did not admit that he was Rama's envoy. And then finally he told him that he is Rama's messenger, he came to find out. And he told that, why did you steal somebody else’s wife? Do not you know that this is the most heinous sin, offense. So, return Rama's wife to Rama, otherwise Rama will destroy you with your entire race. Ravana could not tolerate that insult, so he ordered: "Kill him!" But at that time Vibhishana told Ravana: "A messenger should not be killed". A messenger can be beaten, it can be deformed, it can be defamed but a messenger cannot be killed. So, then Ravana said: “Okay, monkeys take great pride on their tale, so burn his tail. And take him around the city so that everybody can see the spy that came here. So, the arrangements were made. They wrapped pieces of cloth around Hanuman’s tale and poured oil in it. And then they lit the fire. And then they marched Hanuman through the streets of Lanka. And Hanuman took the opportunity of this fire and he started to jump from palace to palace, lighting them into fire. And in this way the whole Lanka started to burn.
And in the meantime, the news reached Sita by a rakshasi that Hanuman has been captured. And he is being burnt with fire. So, Sita prayed to Agnideva that if I have any piety, then with that piety please don't burn Hanuman, save him from being burnt. And then suddenly Hanuman felt that the fire was feeling cool like ice. (laughs) And at that time Pavana also started to blow cool winds for Hanuman’s safety. Hanuman delightfully went from palace to palace, lighting them with the fire from his tale. And all Lanka was burning and mind you, Lanka was made of gold. And when the city was burning the gold melted and all the roads became filled with the flow of molten gold. And then the only house that was spared was Vibhishana's palace. Then it occurred to Hanuman, that the whole of Lanka is burning, maybe Sita also will get burnt because he was seeing that so many Rakshasas were burning in the fire, screaming. So, then he felt: "O what will happen if Sita gets burnt, then my whole purpose of coming here, will be lost. And if Rama gets to know that Sita died, then He will also give up his life.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
The best way to reciprocate is always remember what Prabhupada has done and remain grateful to Srila Prabhupada. The best way to reciprocate is by helping Prabhupada’s mission.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
The best attitude of observing fasting is to give pleasure to Krishna. We are doing it simply to please Krishna.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 29 June 2010 in Pennsylvania)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)