||om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Sarga 15

Tattvadipika
Hanuman sees Sita

This is the Sarga where the search for Sita reaches its goal.

Searching for Sita,
With anticipatory delight permeating all his limbs,
Hanuman looked around from top of Simsupa tree,
where he perched himself.

From that vantage point,
Hanuman was seeing that Ashoka grove.
It was well decorated all around having splendid trees.
The trees were full of creepers enriched with fine fragrance .

Poet says that Ashoka Grove was resembling the Nandanavanam,
Nandanavanam, the garden of Lord Indra, is fit for Gods
The poet is telling us that Ashoka grove is a fit place to be for Sita.

It is filled with animals, birds and filled with sounds of cuckoos ,
It is has tall mansions too.
The grove was shining with ponds filled with golden lilies and lotuses.
The grove has many seating places having rich coverings.
It has also many underground homes.
It has trees which bloom in all seasons and is full of flowers and fruits.
It was glowing with the splendor of the rising Sun,

It was full of blooming Ashoka trees, which can remove grief.
In effect the Poet says that it is a grove fit enough to remove Hanuma's grief,
the grief of not having found Sita.
Hinting that the search for Sita will end this grove.

The Ashoka grove has many spledid trees.
The trees that bent down with the weight of the fruits and flowers,
they resembled Sita bent down with sorrow.
The grove aflame with the radiance of blooming trees.
The Pannagas , Saptaparnas and Uddaalakas.
It was as through it was aflame with the radiance of Sita.
Among the thousands of Ashokas, some were shining like Sita.
Some were were aflame like the flames of fire
which Sita resembled in her sorrow.

With many enchanting groves,
the Ashoka Grove was like Indra's Nanadana grove.
It was also resembling Kuberas "Chaitra Rath" too.

The best among Vanaras then saw a mansion of thousand pillars.
It was shining white like Mount Kailash,
having stairs paved with corals,
having altars of bright molten Gold.
Tall, looking as though it is touching the sky.
That mansion was looking like Kailash,
the abode of Lord Shiva, and a place fit for gods.
Reinforcing the thought that Sita could be found here.

Then Not far from there Hanuman sees a lady.

A lady wearing soiled clothes,
surrounded by Rakshasa women,
emaciated due to fasting ,
sighing again and again,
white and thin like the crescent moon at the beginning of a bright fortnight.

Looking like tip of fire engulfed in smoke,
she was faintly recognizable in appearance with bright radiance.

With a worn out body ,
wearing a single yellow cloth of superior quality,
unadorned, she was looking like a dusty lotus pond bereft of lotuses.

She was bashful looking tormented with agony.
A woman of penance looking like Rohini troubled by the planet Mars.

Overwhelmed with sorrow and eyes filled with tears,
she was looking dejected.
She was looking emaciated by fasting.
She was meditating in sorrow.

Not seeing her dear people,
she was like a female deer surrounded by a group of hounds.
Consumed by grief, not experienced in vices,
she was like one who deserved to be happy.

Seeing that wide eyed ,
thin and very much emaciated lady ,
(Hanuman) started wondering if she is Sita.
'This lady is of the same form
as the one taken away by force by that Rakshasa.
The Rakshasa who can take any form'.

With full face like that of a Moon,
with shapely eye brows, beautiful breasts,
she was rendering brightness in all directions with her radiance.

The queen with black hair,
red lips like Bimba fruit,
with eyes like lotus and pleasing limbs,
she was like Rati of Manmatha.

She was with the radiance of full moon, the favorite of the whole world.
Austere like an ascetic sitting on the ground with lovely figure.
Continuously sighing like the hissing of the consort of the serpent Lord.
Looking gloomy caught in web of great grief.

Like a flame of fire obscured by a cloud of smoke,
like a text of Smriti of doubtful meaning,
She was like a thrown away treasure.

She was like a lost faith, a hope obstructed, success inhibited , or vitiated intellect.
She was like a fame soiled by false allegation,
Troubled by not being able to meet Rama,
She was emaciated on account being kidnapped by the Rakshasa.

Fawn eyed, with an unhappy face,
with eyes full of tears with black curved eyelashes,
sighing again and again,
she was anxiously looking here and there.

She was like the Vedic knowledge that faded for want of recitation.
Looking at her Hanuman's mind also wavered.
Hanuman had difficulty in recognizing Sita devoid of decoration,
like a word that lost it's meaning for want of usage.

Seeing that blameless princess of wide eyes,
Hanuman came to the conclusion that she is indeed Sita,
by right signs and reasons.

Hanuman observed the ornaments worn by Vaidehi adding grace to her.
The ornaments were those which Rama had described.
He also observed the well crafted ear ornaments,
properly fitting Svadamshtras ,
wonderfully variegated corals and gems.
The ornaments blackened due to constant use have left marks on her body.

Hanuman said to himself.

'Those that Rama has described are the same ones I think.
Those dropped ornaments are not on her.
The ones that are not dropped are these I have no doubt .
That auspicious yellow upper cloth shining like gold,
stuck to the trees is the one seen by the Vanaras'.

'This cloth thus worn long is looking crumpled.
Even so its color is shining like another fresh cloth.
This lady of golden complexion,
Rama's beloved queen even though lost being carried away,
does not disappear from his mind'.

Seeing the black eyed Sita Hanuman continued his thoughts.

'Her divine charming body with perfect limbs is a match for Rama's form too.
Her divine mind is fixed on Rama and his mind is fixed on her.
Hence she and the righteous Rama are able to survive till this moment'.

Hanuman continued his thoughts about Rama and Sita with glowing respect.

'Lord Ram has accomplished a difficult task in sustaining himself.
He did not allow himself to sink and perish during separation from her'.

'That without Sita,
a lady of intoxicating lustre ,
he is able to live even for a moment is a wonder.
It is indeed a difficult task accomplished by strong armed Rama'.

The son of wind god seeing Sita,
reached Rama in his mind thus delighted and praised him.

That is what we hear in the fifteenth Sarga

That is the story of Hanuman finally seeing Sita in that Ashoka grove.

Here Sita is seen three forms.

(1) As Lakshmi the consort of the Lord of Lords
(2) She appeared on earth as Janaka's daughter and is worshipped by Hanuman as Sita.
(3) She is the universal mother.
As the universal mother she is arbiter between the Supreme being and the Jeevas and is the one who unites the two .

She indirectly helps in making the friendship between Vibhishana and Rama
Even though Ravana does not hear,
she makes her attempt to tell Ravana to make friendship with Rama

The daughter of Janaka,
acting like a common being ,
she shows how one in separation from the Paramatman should strive to reach Paramatman.

Even as part of the outer shell of the story ,
Sita shows how a virtuous woman acts in separation from her husband .

Thus we see Sita in many different forms

We must also see the messages she give in her different forms.

||om tat sat||
|| This is what we understood from Tattva Dipika of Shri Bhashyam, Appalacharyulu garu"||
|| om tat sat||