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Re: maya sita:last word

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Mani Varadarajan • December 7, 1998 


Dear Bhaktas,

I recommended we end the "mAyA-sItA" discussion yesterday.
Immediately after reading this, Sri A. Bharat, a learned
correspondent from Bangalore, sent me this note proffering
the opinion of Sri Vaishnava acharyas on this subject. 

Let this be the final email on this topic, as it neatly
summarizes the thoughts of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.

Thanking you for your patience,
Mani

----- Forwarded message from "A. Bharat"  -----

Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 15:40:43
To: mani@be.com
From: "A. Bharat" 
Subject: maya sita:last word

Dear Mani

I have been following the various comments on this subject.
I was expecting to find one of the BhAgavatOttamAs coming
out with the cardinal passage from RAmAyana which provides
the key to the situation,and hence did not intervene.But as I
find you closing the discussion without my having seen this
(though it is quite possible I might have missed it)I feel
like adding a few lines.If you want to you may put it on
the net.

Brahma gave VAlmIki alone the special power to view "SItAyA-
s-charitam mahat" exactly as it occurred,and hence his account
takes precedence over all other versions where variations
might have been included based on the author's predilections.
Whether it was the real SItA or the mAyA SItA who was
carried by RAvana is clearly indicated by the sage:

In one of the great passages in SundarakAndam (sarga 37)
when on seeing PirAtti's grief Siriya Tiruvadi Hanuman is
moved to offer to carry her on his back and return her safely
to Chakravarthi Tirumagan,she says among other things:
"Na sprusAmi sarIram tu pumso vAnarapungava
yadaham gAtra-sam-sparsam RAvanasya balAd-gata
AnIsA kim karishyAmi.."

"I will not bear the touch of any other man;RAvana touched
and carried me by force,what could I do? as I could not
help myself."

And as regards Mr Gerald's point re her behaviour towards
Lakshmana,the explanation is as follows:
The Divya Dampatis took this avatAra with the main intention
of actually acting out the life of an ideal human couple who 
follow all the 'mAnusha dharmas' prescribed.And one of the
cardinal tenets governing a human being is avoidance of
BhAgavat-ApachAra; so Piratti actually demonstrates how
immediate and of what dimensions the consequences are
and how even the Lord Himself is unable on his own to
remedy it.He can only do it through the well-wishes
and assistance of other BhAgavatas as in this case
HanumAn,SugrIva,VibhIshana etc.
BHARAT



----- End forwarded message -----