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Re: Raamaayana question

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msriram • May 6, 1998 


Let me try to answer your question.  My knowledge of Ramayana is from
Tulsidas Ramayana.  

After bharata and all visit Rama in Chitrakoota and return back.  Rama
tells Sita that it is time  to separate.  He requests Agni devata to 
take her in his shelter and protect her.  As Sita moves into the shelter
of agni, Maya Sita comes out.  About Ravana touching Sita, he does not
even touch Maya Sita.  He lifts the very ground she is on and takes her
with him.  Raavana has a curse that if he ever forces a married woman, he 
will die on the spot.(hence the above of lifting the land).  

Before Raavana takes Maya Sita away, Rama asks her to ask him for a wish.
To that She replies, that its not enough for me to be Maya Sita, I would
like to be Sriman Narayana's wife.  To this Rama replies that in this day
and age, he is Eka Patni Vratudu and hence can't marry her.  He also tells
her that she will be born to Aakasha Raja and that he will marry her as
Lord Srinivasa and be with her until the end of Kalyuga.  Since he has
promised her that Sriman Narayana has to come to earth again. You are
right when you say that Rama wanted to get his Sita back form Agni, and
hence asked the Maya Sita to take Agni Pariksha.  If you read Tulsidas
Ramayana, in it he explains that Sita is not wearing the jewelry that was
given to her in Lanka, but she is wearing the very jewelry that Arundati
gave her.

Here is the story behind the second question.  When Lakshmi devi and
Sriman Narayana were sitting in Ekantam, he tells his dwarapalakas not to
let anyone enter.  Durvasa muni come to the gates and demands that he be
allowed in.  When he enters, Sriman Narayana is hit by Durvasa by his foot
in the same spot that Lakshmi resides.   Because of this event she gets
upset and leave Sriman Narayana.  In search for Lakshmi, he goes after her
to Earth as Srinivasa.  Before coming he takes the third eye that Durvasa
has on his foot and makes him realize his mistake.  That is how Srinivasa
came to earth.

Getting back to the Story of Rama and Sita, here is the reason why they
were separated.  Raavana wants to get the Athma Lingam of Shiva and when
he does tapasya, Shiva comes and when asks what Ravana wants, Sriman
Narayana asks Saraswati to sit on Ravana's tongue and make him ask for
some thing else.  Raavana asks for Parvati.  At this point, Parvati curses
Sriman Narayana that he too will be separated from his wife Lakshmi,  then
Narada narates the Ramayana to her.  As Lakshmi is following Ravana they
go to the Bhoolokam where Maya Danava's daughter Mandodari lives and
Ravana mistakes her for Lakshmi and marries her.  

Hopefully I have answered your questions.  Let me know if not.  This is a
very vast subject and can't be discussed in a small email.

Manjula

 On Tue, 5 May 1998, Krishna Susarla wrote:

> According to the statement of the Kurma Puraana, it is understood that
> Raavana never actually touched Mother Sita. As the story goes, Lakshmana
> used his agni-astra to draw a protective circle around the hut where Mother
> Sita was. When She crossed it, a curtain of fire appeared and she went to
> take shelter in the kingdom of Agnideva. The Sita who emerged from that fire
> was a "Maya-Sita," another personality who took the appearance of Sita-devi
> so that the pastime of the Raamaayanam could go on. Then when Lord Raama
> tried to "test" her chastity, this Maya-Sita went into the flames and the
> real Sita emerged (although externally, Lord Raama did not take back Sita
> because of concern that she was unchaste, the internal reason was that He
> could not take her back because she was not the real Sita. The whole pastime
> of asking her to enter the flames then was just to get the real Sita out).
> 
> What I have heard recently, however, is that the Maya-Sita was not satisfied
> with this brief participation in the Lord's pastimes and thus petitioned Him
> to give her the boon of having further association with Him. I was told then
> that Lord Raama allowed her to become Padmaavathi when He descended as Lord
> Venkateshwara.
> 
> I was wondering if anyone could confirm the above, that the Maya-Sita is the
> same as Padmaavathi.
> 
> Also, can anyone tell me when Lord Venkateshwara was supposed to have
> appeared on Earth?
> 
> thanks in advance,
> 
>  - Krishna Susarla
> 
> 
>