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State of eternal bliss

CHENNAI : The bliss of realising God is everlasting and it is difficult to convey it in words. Hence the scriptural texts describe this experience as ineffable. The Upanishads describe various types of joys that one can experience in this world and in heaven just to show that the spiritual experience is supreme and beyond them. When Hanuman handed over Rama's signet ring to Sita after he located Her in the Ashoka grove to convince Her that he was Rama's messenger, the very sight of it transported Her into a state of indescribable bliss.

The Champu Ramayana notes that Sita beheld Her Lord's countenance in it due to the blessing of Sage Yajnavalkya during their marriage. Kamban compares her happiness to that of spiritual union and states, "Seeing it, whether Sita was like one who reaped the benefits of a virtuous act done suddenly... or was like a dead body coming back to life, it was hard to say!" Indeed Sita was happier than She was when She married Rama and Her joy knew no bounds for She had lost all hopes and was on the verge of giving up Her life when Hanuman found Her and gave Her a fresh lease of life by chanting Rama's name and handing over His ring.

In his discourse, Sri B.Sundar Kumar said the spiritual import of this episode was significant. Hanuman was the Guru (preceptor) who brought about the reunion of Rama (the Supreme Being, Brahman) and Sita (the individual soul, Jivatma). Two kinds of initiation (Diksha) are apparent in it— by sight and by Mantra. Hanuman sighted Sita after searching for Her all over Lanka and after finding Her chanted Rama's name (divine name equated with the Ashtakshara mantra capable of delivering man from bondage and hence called Taraka nama), the efficacy of which was evident immediately: Sita experienced the ecstasy of reunion with Rama after hearing His name and glory, and seeing His ring.

Hanuman did not stop with just showing Her Rama's ring. He described Rama's pitiable condition in Her absence and attributed the reason for the delay in rescuing Her to not knowing Her whereabouts. Sita's grief for not rescuing Her so long was gone.

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