December 9,2012.Day 25. Srimad Valmiki Ramayan - The First Epic Poem Of India. (Continued)

Book I : Bala Kanda - Book Of Youthful Majesties : Chapter 1(Continued)

रामस्य दयिता भार्या नित्यम् प्राण समा हिता || १-१-२६
जनकस्य कुले जाता देव मायेव निर्मिता |
सर्व लक्षण संपन्ना नारीणाम् उत्तमा वधूः || १-१-२७
सीताप्य अनुगता रामम् शशिनम् रोहिणी यथा |

26b, 27, 28a. raamasya dayitaa bhaarya = Rama', loving, wife; praaNa samaa = life, like, [alter ego]; nityam hitaa = ever, amiable one; jankasya kule jaataa = Janaka's, family, born in; nirmitaa deva maya iva = fashioned, by divine, marvel, as though; sarva lakshaNa sampannaa = all, qualities, possessor of [befitting to an ideal lady]; nariiNaam uttamaa = among ladies, the best one; vadhuu = daughter-in-law [of Dasharatha]; siitha api = Seetha, even; rohiNii shashinam yathaa = Lady Rohini, with Moon, as with; raamam anugataa = Rama, she followed. 

"Seetha, the best one among ladies, a possessor of all best qualities befitting to an ideal lady, the one who is as though fashioned by a Divine marvel, born in Janaka's family and became Dasharatha's daughter-in-law, and she who is the loving wife and an ever-amiable alter ego of Rama, even she followed Rama to forests, as with Lady Rohini following the Moon... [1-1-26b, 27, 28a]

Here deva maaya refers to many concepts. Vaishnavaite tenets tell that the word deva is ascribable only to Vishnu, but not to other gods. Thus, this is Vishnu maya, when He assumed an extraordinary female form called Mohini, when distributing amR^ita, the divine elixir, to gods and demons. Next is the form of Tilottama, a divine beauty to hoodwink demons called Sunda and Upasunda. The other is Vishnu's liilaa shakti, which is divinely fascinating. Yet another is grammatical connotation, maa yaa where, maa= Goddess Lakshmi; yaa= who that is; meaning yaa siitaa saa maa= 'who is Goddess Lakshmi... She is Seetha...' and this results in the saying: ati ruupavatii siitaa... ati muurkhaH cha raavaNa 'While Seetha is an extraordinarily beauty, Ravana is an eccentrically stupid...

The deities have their wives always with them. Chandra, the Moon has Rohini, a conspicuous star, while Surya, Sun has Prabha, Sunshine. Minus these wives, their glow and glitter is void. So also, Rama has an inseparable wife. Though Seetha and Lakshmana were not exiled, they followed Rama out of concept of 'togetherness...'