The Abduction Of Sita

23 May 1996, Summer Course 1996, Brindavan

Published English.

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Human life is most sublime and sacred. Of all the species that exist on the earth, man is the highest, not only by virtue of his intellectual eminence but also by dint of the sanctity he possesses. He is endowed with many talents and abilities. Unfor-tunately, man wastes his life by misusing his capabilities. There are two avenues open to man: the (the path of Welfare) and the (the path of Enjoyment). The path of Welfare is nothing but the path of inward life, whereas the path of Enjoyment is the path of outward life.

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During the course of His stay on the mountain, had many deliberations with Sages and Seers. These aspirants, who had been eagerly awaiting a rendezvous with Divinity, made good use of the opportunity by discussing topics like , , , etc. However, the serene atmosphere of the mountain soon gave way to agitation and turbulence. The demons, having got wind of the spiritual activities in progress, intensified their attacks on the sages and troubled them. The sages wished to leave the mountain and go to a safer place.

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An old sage came to and said, “, the nefarious activities of the demons are increasing day by day. They are harassing the aspirants more and more. Hence, they wish to leave the place. It is not advisable for You to live here because You are leading a family life. It may be dangerous to live here, though You are endowed with enormous strength.” The sages and then held consultations and decided to enter , a dense forest area.

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in Trouble surfaced as soon as they started living in the forest. One day, a demon by name abducted and refused to hand her over to . He warned and of dire consequences if they tried to retrieve from him; but unmindful, and attacked . The enraged then grasped and one in each hand and started running. Seeing this, bewailed her misfortune and appealed to the demon to take her away also. and then cut off both the hands of , wanting to kill him; but did not die. said to , “You cannot kill me as I am protected by a boon. You must dig a pit and bury me there.” then added, “Not far away from here is a hermitage, where Sage is waiting for You day and night.” , accompanied by and , then made His way to . When saw he became ecstatic. He said, “O ! Today I have found fulfilment and I need not live any longer. I was about to leave my body many a time, but then I remembered that would one day come into the forest. Thus, I wished to live to see God in human form. Today I have seen God. Please wait a little.” After uttering these words in the presence of , he made a pyre and plunged into the burning flames, saluting , , and for the last time. From the burning flames arose , the celestial musician, who had lived his life as due to a curse. advised and to go to the of sage so that they could get help from the venerable sage.

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The brothers along with then went to the hermitage of sage , who directed them to go to a place called , which was situated on the banks of the river . added that fruits and roots were available in abundance in and the temperate climate was most conducive for living there. The Sage deliberately directed them to so that the abduction of , which was so important for the killing of the demons, could occur there. He did not keep and in his own hermitage since the abduction of would then be impossible.

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’s Advice The three exiles started living in . , however, was not happy in , because almost every day and indulged in violence. One day, while was away collecting fruits and tubers, approached and said, “Lord, those who have desires commit three evils: uttering falsehood, eyeing other ladies, and committing violence. Certainly, You are free from the first two evils. I firmly believe that You can never utter falsehood, for You are the Embodiment of Truth.” felt happy at these words of and said, “It is certainly a qualification for a man to be described as a virtuous person by his own wife. , I am happy that you have recognised My affinity to Truth.” continued, “You are also free from the weakness of looking at the wives of others. This is another great virtue in You. But I cannot appreciate Your committing violence on the beasts and demons. These demons are in no way harming You.” smiled at these words and said, “, though you have spoken the truth, My conduct is in consonance with the promise I gave to the sages and aspirants here. I am bound by My duty and want to stand by My promise. Though these demons are not harming Me personally, they are subjecting My devotees to untold suffering. They ruthlessly disturb the sacrifices performed by the sages. The sages perform sacrifices for the welfare and well-being of mankind. I cannot but resort to violence for the well-being of mankind.” realised her mistake and sought the forgiveness of by touching His feet. The conduct of is in consonance with the scriptural injunction:

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In fact women should follow the example of , who always struggled to mend the ways of her husband, .

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Spring arrived, trees sprouted green leaves and cool winds blew softly. There arrived on the scene a golden deer. , who had never asked for the fulfilment of any desire, pleaded with Him to capture the golden deer for her. agreed. Though volunteered to do the task, did not allow him to do so; for He knew that if He were to be present there in the hut, the abduction of could not take place. Everything had its place in the master plan, which He had drawn up long ago. then went in pursuit of the golden deer. When He found that the deer was eluding him, He shot an arrow at it.

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The golden deer was none other than the demon , who had assumed the form of a deer to draw away from . While dying, , imitating the voice of , cried out aloud, “Oh, , Oh, !” heard these words, became agitated, and asked to go and find out what had happened. She was overcome by the fear that something dangerous had happened to , since the voice sounded like that of . said to , “Mother, the voice you have heard is not the voice of . It is but the trick of the demon, who wants to deceive us. Nothing dangerous can ever happen to , as He is the incarnation of Lord . Do not worry in the least.” , who knew the master plan of , was determined to send on one pretext or the other. She knew that soft and gentle words would not make leave the place. Hence, she used stern words and said, “Oh ! Perhaps, you wish to have me as your wife, when dies.” Unable to bear the words uttered by , decided to go in search of . But before leaving the place he told not to cross the line that he drew around the . then went in search of .

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Meeting with In the meantime, came in the guise of an ascetic and abducted . When and returned to the hut, they found the hut empty. The two brothers now went in search of in . While searching for , they found the bird badly mutilated. had earlier met the bird and mistaken it for a demon. The bird then said to that it was a friend of his father, . It prayed to to give it the duty of looking after in their absence. At the time of ’s abduction, encountered in the sky and fought bravely to prevent from carrying her away. But axed its two wings. The helpless was now dying. It was at this juncture that the brothers approached and learnt about the abduction of . felt deep pity and gratitude for the bird , which had sacrificed its life for His sake. He placed ’s head on His lap and poured cool water down its throat. Drinking water from ’s hand, the bird breathed its last. While did not have the good fortune of attaining , the heavenly state, did while resting its head in ’s lap. That is why it is said:

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Oh Mind! do not ask for anything. The more you ask, the longer will it be delayed. If you do not ask, The sooner will it be done. Did not the Lord bless and , Though they never asked for their last moments to be spent in His proximity?

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While dying, told to seek the help of , who lived on Mount . performed the last rites of and started toward the mountain.

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Living for God During the course of their journey, and had to inflict much violence on the demons. Though had tried to restrain them, eventually she herself became a victim of the evil ways of the demons. had rightly said to that the three evils, namely, untruth, lust, and violence, are the causes of all the evils in the world. , the symbol of and the embodiment of truth and righteousness, possessed noble conduct. Her example is worthy of emulation by every woman of India. That is why the is also described as the story of .

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The is replete with many lessons for mankind. It tells us that worldly tendencies lead us to sorrow, whereas spiritual tendencies lend contentment and happiness to mankind. Sensual pleasures are like passing clouds. These pleasures give temporary joy, whereas Atmic realisation bestows eternal Bliss.

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There is no sorrow for those people who live in the Bliss of God. But unfortunately, people today do not wish to follow the example of the great devotees of God, who live in eternal Bliss. To people, (desire) has become dearer than (ideal). Desires are ephemeral, whereas ideals are eternal.

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It is really tragic that people do not strive to benefit, though God has come down in human form to help mankind. People do not have the good sense to follow the ideals of the . They take delight in conducting themselves contrary to the commands of the .

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Fortunate are those who live for God. To these people, the satisfaction of God is of paramount importance. These people observe the principle of (all deeds should be done for the joy of the Lord). Such people who live for God are rewarded with eternal Bliss. The life of stands as a supreme testimony to this. lived only for God. In this country, there were many sages and saints who lived like and dedicated their lives to God.

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But man today is oblivious of the great ideals contained in the . People have no individuality of their own. They have become highly imitative and heavily dependent on others. In fact, they have become slaves of others. These persons see with the eyes of others, hear with the ears of others, and think with the minds of others. They cannot achieve anything in life. It is said:

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It is very difficult to attain human life. You are born as a human because of actions performed in the past, over many lives. You should foster the feelings of the oneness of and the unity of mankind. The abounds in episodes and illustrations that demonstrate the Divinity in man. It abounds in lessons for mankind, whatever may be the episode or chapter you take for study. Hence, imprint on your heart the story of and thereby find fulfilment in life.