The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Pathos in the epic

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Wednesday, Sep 08, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Pathos in the epic

CHENNAI, SEPT.8 . There is an underlying emotion in great literary creations, which is often the leitmotif of the storyline and hence can be discerned in the events portrayed in them. The Ramayana is a case in point. Sage Valmiki happened to witness the killing of a crane by a hunter and its mate wailing in agony when he went to the River Tamasa for his ablutions. The tragedy of the situation moved him so much that he uttered a curse, which spontaneously came out in verse form. The creator, Brahma later interpreted the verse to refer to Rama's life and he bade him to compose the epic. The visit of Sage Narada earlier thus turned out to be providential, as he had related the events in Rama's life to the questions he had put to him.

In his discourse, Sri N.Veezhinathan said this element of pathos was the overriding feature that could be seen in the Ramayana. When Rama was ruling in Ayodhya He once asked Sita whether He could fulfil anything She desired. This is one of the rare instances of description of their intimate exchanges by the poet and this particular instance was when they were living happily after all the travails they had undergone in the forest. Sita was pregnant then and understandably Rama wanted to make Her happy.

She immediately replied, "I wish to visit the holy penance-groves and stay at the feet of sages living on the banks of the Ganga... living only on fruits and edible roots. This is my greatest wish." As the emperor Rama would have laid the world at Her feet but She sought holy company. Rama promised to fulfil Her wish the very next day.

The irony of Sita expressing such a desire can be seen in what happened immediately. Rama was apprised of the aspersions being cast on Sita and about Him taking Her back after Ravana kept Her captive. Rama without losing a moment sent for Lakshmana and commanded him to leave Sita in the vicinity of Valmiki's hermitage. When he escorted Her much against his wish Sita was unaware of what had transpired and She went with him happily. One can imagine Her plight when Lakshmana broke the news to Her that Her Lord had instead abandoned Her. Sita, the manifestation of the Divine Mother, pathetically told Lakshmana, "I was born to be unhappy. The spirit of sorrow is incarnate in Me." She declared that Her conduct had been pure and did not deserve this but could not give up Her life as She was carrying Rama's progeny. A more heart-rending situation cannot be even imagined.

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