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25-Seetaa-3-Was Seetaa the Incarnation of Lakshmee?

1. Who was Seetaa?
2. Was Seetaa untouchable?
3. Was Seetaa the Incarnation of Lakshmee?
4. Did Seetaa recognize Raavan as a fake Braahman?


Was Seetaa the Incarnation of Lakshmee?

Was Seetaa really the Goddess Lakshmee? This question is often raised and answered by commentators. Raavan kidnapped umpteen numbers of beautiful women and goddess, but why his dialogs with Seetaa are given many shades of meanings by almost all commentators. Is this for proving Raavan as devotee or else to prove that Seetaa was not a human but Devee Lakshmee - is the collateral objection. Apparently, Seetaa is behaving like a normal woman but latently her speeches, verbiage, or the words put by Vaalmeeki on her tongue, indicate that she was an all-powerful enigma... without saying who she was.

If She was an incarnation of Devee Lakshmee, how then could Raavan lift her up and carry this far - is the next dilemma, because Raavan's strength becomes useless to lift up Lakshman who swooned on the battlefield when Raavan used Shakti missile at him. In Yuddh Kaand 59/111 it is said:  'Raavan may have lifted Himvaan Parvat, Mandaraachal Parvat, Meru Parvat or all the three worlds along with all Devtaa, but he could not lift up Bharat's brother Lakshman with both of his shoulders...'

Raavan wanted to separate fiercer Lakshman from Raam so that Raam's intensity of warring lessens. Then an episode of this lifting occurs and Hanumaan on seeing this comes to Raavan and hits him with fist, by which Raavan falls very far with blood effusing from his eyes, ears, and mouth. Then Hanumaan easily lifts up Lakshman and takes Him to Raam. A man in swoon will not weigh differently to two different lifters. How then Raavan could not lift Lakshman, which is not at all a great feat for Hanumaan.

For this the very next verse 112 gives a reply saying that: "even if Lakshman was hit by Shakti missile of Brahmaa Jee, He was conscious of himself as an unimaginable entity of Bhagvaan Vishnu, so Raavan could not lift Him. Whereas Hanumaan happened to be a true devotee of God Almighty, that is why he could easily lift Lakshman...'"

Then the original topic of Raavan's lifting and carrying off Seetaa comes to fore. She is also another unimaginable entity of Supreme Person - Lakshmee Jee. How then could Raavan lift her? For this it is said that Seetaa allowed herself to be carried off by Raavan as She had already pledged in the incarnation of Ved Vatee.

The legend goes on to say that Ved Vatee was the brainchild of a sage called Kushdhwaj, and he decided to give Ved Vatee only to Bhagavaan Vishnu in marriage. But it remained an unfulfilled desire in his lifetime. Then Ved Vatee starts a rigorous penance to achieve her father's wish. When she is at the culmination point of her penance, Raavan passing that way in skyway sees this beautiful lady, comes to her, and disturbs her penance. Ved Vatee coming out of her meditation curses Raavan saying that she would reincarnate herself to destroy Raavan and his entire dynasty. Then she causes a Yogic fire and immolates herself in it. Raavan took this as prattle by a woman-hermit, dismisses that curse, and conveniently forgets it.

Later, Raavan being an ardent devotee of Bhagavaan Shiv, one day enters a lake to get lotuses for his daily worship of Shiv Jee, finds among lotuses a baby in a lotus. He brings that lotus and the baby to his palace, in all his fondness for children. But his empress Mandodaree doubts the arrival of this baby in lotus and recognizes that baby as Devee Lakshmee. They consult their teachers about that baby's arrival. Those teachers, priests and pundits advise to get rid of that baby immediately, for she was Ved Vatee, arrived here only to end Raavan and his dynasty. Then Mandodaree orders the servants to carry away this baby in a casket, and bury it.

Empress Mandodaree further cursed that girl saying: "this faithless girl [for wealth has no faithfulness, and as this girl was recognized as Devee Lakshmee - presiding deity of Wealth] will thrive only in a house, where the householder has his senses conquered, and who being an emperor lives like a perfect hermit, and who though wealthy and supreme by himself, will care nothing for the riches but view whole of the world and people as his own soul, with an impartial attitude..."

Mandodaree thought that such a person was impossible to take birth in this mortal world, and thus presumed this curse would work. But there was a King Janak who had all these attributes. A king without ego, wealthy one, living simple, childless but yet does not crave for children like King Dasharath. Hence, he was called Raajarshi a saintly king. While King Janak was about to perform a Vedic ritual - he had to till some piece of land as a ceremonial act to commence that ritual. Then this casket with the baby is touched by the blade of the end of plough-beam and that plough is halted. The attendants dug up that area only to find this casket with baby. The childless Janak took the baby into his arms and named her as 'Seetaa...' where Seetaa in Sanskrit means 'furrow.' [This is as per Aanand Raamaayan]. Thus, Devee Lakshmee became Ved Vatee and Ved Vatee became Seetaa of Raamaayan. As such Vaalmeeki calls his Raamaayan "seetaayah charitam mahaan..."

Then another counter objection - it is all correct to say that all Puraan say that these characters in Raamaayan are incarnated as Devtaa and Devee, as Vishnu Puraan says. But is it said by Vaalmeeki in his epic too? For this it is answered, though it is not said explicitly there are many instances indicating towards the divinity of Seetaa. Seetaa asks Fire-god to become cool for Hanumaan, when his tail is burned saying "seeto bhava hanumataa" and likewise She could have said "hato bhava Raavan" means: "dead you are Raavan...'". But She does not say it, because Raam has to undertake that process of elimination of Vice called Raavan, as Seetaa said in Sundar Kaand (5/22/20): "As I have no indication from Raam to burn you down, nor do I wish to waste my ascetic power, therefore I do not burn you to ashes, though you are worthy to become a mound of ash...".

In the very next verse of Aranya Kaand (3/22/21) she directly says to Raavan: "I am un-seizable for [any] as I am the wife of bold Raam, but it happened so, for you are fated to doom [you could seize me...] undoubtedly..."

Again in Yuddh Kaand (6/117/28) Brahmaa Jee in eulogizing Raam for eliminating Raavan says: "siitaa lakshmeeh bhavah vishnuh..." means: "Seetaa is Lakshmee and you are Vishnu...". Like this, there are many bits and pieces of information to establish her as an incarnation of Ved Vatee alias Devee Lakshmee." by Govindaraja".

Then why She and Raam behaved like humans in their wailing, moaning, and bawling is again a second query. This is according to "Lok Reeti or Laukik Vidhaan" means: "humanly nature, behavior in human world..." Though this humanly behavior is not innate trait as Raam says "aatmaanam aham maanusham manye" means: "I for myself confess to be human..." Hence this humanly wailing and bawling are due to an adopted human behavior, where incarnation itself is an adaptation. There is no instance to quote that Raam or Seetaa have performed some miracles, special effects or any other optical works... . This wizardry is shown by demons and monkeys but not by mannish Raam or womanish Seetaa.

Their humanly behavior is to show themselves as one with the humans, asking humans to undergo these series of sufferings to eliminate unrighteousness, either in the society or within themselves. Besides, their mission is to make believe Raavan that they are just humans, as Raavan can be killed by humans and monkeys only, but not to hoodwink readers, the adherents or all of us put together. (Maheshvar Teerth).

This incarceration of Seetaa in Ashok Vaatikaa is viewed as the incarceration of the innate soul in taken birth in an human being's body. The release from that body, namely "Moksh",is achievable only when that being wants a perfect release by transcending the threefold nature consisting of "Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamo gunah" means: "purity, activity and stolidity..." and with an unswerving devotion to the Supreme as said in Gita, 14:26: "And such- / With single, fervent faith adoring Me, / Passing beyond the Qualities, conforms / To Brahmaa, and attains Me!" - Sir Edwin Arnold.

God Almighty is said to be masculine single, the rest of the universe is taken as feminine, as said in Vishnu Puraan. Then the way the innate soul called Seetaa is incarcerated is, when she had no help of the Supreme or the Adherent of the Supreme, [Raam and Lakshman] Decahedral demon [the demon called Ten Motor Senses or ten-headed Raavan] came and captured the Soul, Seetaa, and incarcerated that soul in Lankaa. The syllable "lam" lam - the Beejaakshar stands for earth, and because body is earthly, lascivious and carnal, the soul enters that body by its bondage. If that soul again tries for a final release, that soul shall seek the Ultimate as said in the verse of Geetaa, quoted above.

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on 5/27/03
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 04/13/13