We continue our excursion into Hinduism. Today we will talk about the beautiful companions of the Hindu pantheon and some of their descendants. By the way, many Indian gods and goddesses help in creativity, help remove obstacles and achieve well-being and prosperity. If you want to know the details, then read on ☺
As I already said in the post “Hinduism and the Supreme Indian Gods”, at the top of the Indian “Olympus” there are the Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who form the Trimurti. Each of them has a wonderful life partner (or even all lives), of divine or human origin, but always with a very difficult fate. After they linked their lives and destiny with their divine spouses, they became Shakti - deities (divine power, light) carrying feminine energy in the universe.
Companion of Brahma
Brahma's wife is the beautiful goddess Saraswati, the patroness of the hearth, fertility, and prosperity. In addition, she favors creators, giving special preference to writers of all stripes and musicians.
Saraswati is often called the river goddess, the goddess of water, moreover, her name translates as “she who flows.” Saraswati is usually depicted as a beautiful woman in white robes, seated on a white lotus flower. It is not difficult to guess that white is her color, symbolizing knowledge and cleansing from blood. Her clothes are rich, but, compared to Lakshmi’s attire, they are very modest (we’ll get to Lakshmi later). Most likely, this indirectly indicates that she is above worldly goods, since she has learned the highest truth. Her symbol is also a light yellow blooming mustard flower, which just begins to form into buds in the spring during the holiday in her honor.
Saraswati, like Brahma, has four arms. And just like her divine husband, in other of them she holds a rosary, naturally white, and the Vedas. In her third hand she holds a vana (national musical instrument), in her fourth hand there is sacred water (after all, she is the goddess of water). Often a white swan swims at Saraswati’s feet, which is also a symbol of her experience and wisdom in knowing the highest truth. Saraswati is sometimes called Hamsavahini, which means "she who uses a swan for transportation."
If you remember, last time I told you that according to one of the theories, humanity appeared as a result of Brahma’s passion for his daughter Vak. This state of affairs does not really suit some believers, which is why Vak is often positioned as one of the incarnations of Saraswati. Her other images can be Rati, Kanti, Savitri and Gayatri. The goddess is very popular in India, sometimes she is even called Mahadevi - the Great Mother. It is believed that if you name your daughter Saraswati, she will study diligently, and there will be prosperity and contentment in her future home.
Companion of Vishnu
As we remember, Vishnu came to earth 9 times in different avatars and each time his wife was Lakshmi, naturally, in her different incarnations. The most famous and revered are Sita (when Vishnu was Rama) and Rukmini (Vishnu - Krishna).
But no matter how they call her in one form or another, no one doubts that this is Lakshmi. Lakshmi emerged from the depths of the Comic Ocean along with other treasures, so many revere her as a divine treasure. She, like a true woman, is both the strength and weakness of her chosen one, which has been repeatedly reflected in folk art, for example in Ramayat. Often her image overshadows Saraswati, as well as Vishnu Brahma, and it is to her that the role of the Great Mother Mahadevi is shifted.
Lakshmi is traditionally depicted sitting on a pink or red lotus flower as a beautiful young woman, younger than Saraswati, wearing beautiful expensive clothes and jewelry. She usually uses a white owl as a means of transportation. She, like other gods, has four arms, but no obligatory objects that she holds can be distinguished. Sometimes she is depicted with lotuses, sometimes with gold coins - whatever the artist’s imagination allows. Lakshmi is incredibly popular in India because, in addition to being the wife of the supreme deity, she is also the patron of wealth, good fortune, luck, light, knowledge, wisdom, light, courage and fertility. She is a welcome guest in any home.
Surprisingly, but true, in order to earn her favor, the following actions, already familiar to us, are mandatory. The Goddess does not accept clutter, if your house is full of garbage, dust, unused things, do not expect her to visit you. The air in the house should be fresh, there must be water in a decanter, a house plant (if there is no garden), candles and incense. The most favorable area for placing the image of Lakshmi is the south-eastern part of the house. If you remember my post, then according to Chinese tradition, the wealth zone is located there, and the minimum measures to attract it come down to cleaning and ventilation. There is reason to think...
The offspring of Lakshmi and Vishnu is the god of love Kama. We have all heard a lot or a little about the Kama Sutra, and so, if translated literally, it means “the rules of love (lust).” By the way, poor Kama was seriously injured by the god Shiva, which brought upon the latter the serious wrath of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Kama fired an arrow of passion at Shiva when he was in deep asceticism and many years of meditation in order to attract his attention to the beautiful daughter of the king of the Himalayas, Parvati. This angered Shiva so much that he incinerated Kama with his third eye. Under pressure from Vishnu, Lakshmi and other gods, he was forced to agree to the rebirth of the god of love. Despite all his efforts, Kama was revived to life by ananga (incorporeal) and now he is everywhere.
Shiva's companions
Here we are gradually approaching the love affairs of the great ascetic Shiva. There were many of them, depending on the form of its manifestation. Religious scholars did not agree on whether this woman was alone or not.
Here I will talk about them as different, because if all this diversity of forms and essences is “shoved” into one character, I’m afraid I will get confused myself. Naturally, I won’t be able to write about them all, so we’ll focus on the most revered ones.
Devi - "goddess". Devi is especially revered among followers of tantra. Goddess Devi "contains the whole world in her womb", she "lights the lamp of wisdom" and "brings joy to the heart of Shiva, her Lord." Today in India, rituals dedicated to Devi are often performed on the eve of marriage, and, as we understand, no one is interested in the religion of the couple ☺
Sati – “true, immaculate.” Sati was the daughter of king (god?) Daksha. On the day of her coming of age, he sent out an invitation to all the gods, with the exception of Shiva, so that Sati could choose a worthy husband. He believed that Shiva was behaving unworthy of the gods, damaging their name and essence. When Sati entered the hall and did not see the only one whom she worshiped and whose wife she dreamed of becoming, she offered him a prayer asking him to accept the wedding garland. Shiva accepted her gift and Dakshi had no choice but to marry Sati to him. But the story didn't end there. Dakshi decided to arrange a huge sacrifice in honor of the gods, again depriving Shiva of his attention. This act outraged Sati and she came to his house without an invitation, claiming that Shiva is the god above all gods. Defending her husband's honor, she herself stepped into the sacrificial fire and burned in its flames...
Upon learning of the death of his beloved, Shiva was distraught with grief. With his servants, he came to Daksha's palace and killed him and his followers. After that, with the body of his beloved in his arms, he danced his divine dance 7 times around all the worlds. The crazy rhythm of his dance brought destruction and sadness to everything around, the scale of the disaster reached such a volume that they forced Vishnu to intervene, who, in order to stop this crazy dance, cut Sati’s body into several parts and they fell to the ground. After this, Shiva came to his senses, repented of killing Daksha and even gave him back his life (though with the head of a goat, since his original one was lost).
Uma – “Graceful.” There is a version that she is the rebirth of the goddess Sati, but skeptics are inclined to believe that Sati’s body was cut into several parts and fell in different places, so that she could not be reborn in a single image. Her name is sometimes associated with Barhma, since she is his intermediary in communication with other gods. Based on this, Uma is the patroness of oratory. Uma also became the cause of a divine conflict when the servants of Brahma found her in the arms of Shiva in the sacred forest. He was so angry that he doomed any male, regardless of his species, to turn into a female as soon as he entered the forest territory.
Parvati - "mountain". Another possible rebirth of Sati, daughter of King Himvan, ruler of the Himalayas. The girl loved Shiva very much, but he did not pay any attention to her and was completely absorbed in meditation and asceticism. In the end, the Gods could not stand the suffering of the beautiful Parvati and sent Kama to awaken passion and desire in him, for which, the poor fellow, he paid. Having noticed the beauty and devotion of the girl, Shiva nevertheless considered her unworthy, and she was forced to perform difficult ascetic feats for many years in order to achieve his favor. Ultimately, she succeeded and became not only Shiva's beloved wife, but also the mother of his son Ganesh.
Ganesha is one of the most popular characters, even in countries where the main religion is Buddhism, he is still revered. For example, in the north of the Thai city of Chiang Mai there is an absolutely stunning one. It is very easy to distinguish him from all other gods - he is the only one with an elephant's head. By the way, according to one version, he was deprived of his human head by his own father Shiva, who did not recognize his son in the grown-up Ganesha and was jealous of Parvati. In order to revive his son, he ordered the servants to kill the first animal they came across and bring its head to the palace. By coincidence, it turned out to be the head of a baby elephant, which Shiva attached in place of his son’s head in order to resurrect him and calm the inconsolable Parvati.
Ganesha uses a white mouse as a means of transportation, so Hindus do not favor cats - since they eat mice and cause Ganesha’s wrath. And no one wants his anger; on the contrary, they crave his favor. After all, Ganesha is considered the patron of prosperity, the remover of obstacles, he helps to increase earnings and profits, and also stimulates success in school and profession. For these purposes, a figurine of Ganesh is often placed on the desktop or at the cash register, and special mantras are also chanted, for example: OM GAM GANAPATAYA NAMAH or OM SRI GANESHAYA NAMAH.
Durga - “unapproachable”. There are many legends associated with the appearance of Durga, but one of the most popular is the following. One day, the king of the giants, Mahisha, defeated the gods, deprived them of everything and expelled them from their homes. Then Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined their powers and released dazzling rays of light from their eyes, from which emerged a warrior goddess with three eyes and eighteen arms. Then each of the gods gave her his weapon: Brahma - a rosary and a jug of water, Vishnu - a throwing disc, Shiva - a trident, Varuna - a conch, Agni - a dart, Vayu - a bow, Surya - a quiver of arrows, Indra - lightning, Kubera - a mace , Kala – shield and sword, Vishwakarma – battle axe. Mahisha was inflamed with passion for Durga and wanted to make her his wife, but he said that he would submit only to the one who defeats her in battle. She jumped off her tiger and jumped on the back of Mahishi, who had taken the form of a bull to fight. With her feet she struck the bull's head with such crushing force that he fell unconscious to the ground. After this, Durga cut off his head with a sword.
Kali – “black”. Probably the most controversial goddess of the Hindu pantheon, one of the most beautiful and at the same time dangerous. Her skin is black, she is a great warrior and a great dancer, like her husband Shiva. She is usually depicted in expensive clothing with a necklace of skulls and a belt made of severed hands. Most often, she has four hands: in one she holds a bloody sword, in the other - the head of a defeated enemy, and the other two hands bless her subjects. That is, it simultaneously brings both death and immortality. During the battle, she pulls out her tongue to drink the blood of her victims (by the way, according to many theories, Kali is the prototype of Lilith and vampires). Sometimes she is depicted with one foot on her chest and the other on the thigh of a prostrate Shiva. This is explained by the following legend. Having defeated the giant Raktvija, she began to dance in joy, and her dance was so passionate and unbridled that it threatened to destroy the earth and the whole world. The gods tried to persuade her, but everything was in vain. Then Shiva lay down at her feet, and Kali continued to dance until she saw her own husband under her feet. She was ashamed of her own fury and the disrespect shown to the great god that she stopped dead in her tracks. By the way, Shiva forgave her quite easily.
Among Shiva’s companions there are also Jagadgauri, Chinnamustaka, Tara, Muktakesi, Dasabhuja, Singhavanini, Mahishamandini, Jagaddhatri, Ambika, Bhavani, Pithivi, etc., you can’t remember them all ☺ .
Well, perhaps that’s the end of the fairy tale, whoever read to the end - well done ☺! I hope you found it interesting.
Goddess Sita is one of the most famous goddesses in Indian history, a symbol of meekness and devotion. She is glorified in the ancient Indian treatise (epic) “Ramayana” as the virtuous wife of the main character Rama. The work describes her appearance from the furrow of a plowed field, which appeared and began to signify the name Sita, since “Sita” is translated from the ancient Indian language as the goddess of arable land.
Goddess Sita is praised as daughter of the Earth, and she also embodies kindness and femininity, so she serves ideal woman in ancient Indian mythology. Sita is considered the symbol of the ideal daughter, wife, mother and queen. She embodies all the characteristics that should describe a modern woman.
Goddess Sita was born in Navami, on the 9th lunar day, in the month of Vaisakha, which is considered to be the second month of the Indian calendar. Her father Janaka, when he was plowing the ground to perform the Yajna, found a beautiful golden chest in which little Sita was. Because of this supernatural manner of birth, Sita is called Ayonija (which means “not born from the womb”).
Sita is also called Bhumija (“earth”), Dharanisura (“carrier”), Parthivi (“broad”) - all these names come down to one thing and mean “daughter of the earth.” Since his father’s name was Janaka, accordingly, Sita was often called by his name - Janaka.
Epic "Ramayana"
The ancient Indian treatise was written and dates back to the 2nd century BC. The ideological meaning of the work is to show the life path of the main character - Rama. In the epic, he appears during the period of the seventh avatar in the form of a brave warrior - Rama.
The main role in the work is played by goddess Sita. According to the Ramayana, only she had the power and strength to move the heavy chest from the place where the bow was kept. Therefore, her father Janaka could give his daughter in marriage to a man who was distinguished by the same strength. For this purpose, Janaka announces a competition where it is necessary to string the bow. To the one who copes with this difficult task, he promises to give his daughter in marriage. Many princes tried to string the bow, but no one succeeded. Only Rama was able not only to string the bow, but also to break it.
King Dasharatha appears in the work as the father of the hero. The treacherous wife of the king, having learned that Rama will become the heir to the throne, drives him out of the palace, resorting to cunning and cunning. The main character leaves the kingdom and his wife Sita and brother Lakshman leave with him.
After wandering for a long time, they find shelter in a dark forest, where they live for 6 years. Once in the forest, Sita saw a golden deer, which she really liked. She told Ram to catch up with him. Seeing that her husband was not returning home for a long time, she asked Lakshmana to go to his aid. When leaving, he outlined the home with a circle of protection, and strictly ordered Sita not to leave these boundaries. But Sita broke her word when Ravana, disguised as a brahmana, asked her to taste food. So Sita left a protective circle. Taking advantage of the fact that she is left alone, a demon kidnaps her and takes her to the island of Lanka.
Every day, Ravana visited Sita with an offer to become his wife and gave him time to think about it for only 1 month. At that time, taking the form of a monkey, he began to look after Sita. One day he gave her a ring that belonged to Ram, but the frightened girl did not believe him even when he appeared before her in his true form. But the story told about the crow, which only Sita and Rama knew about, was made to believe Hanuman. At this time, he wanted to take her to the camp where Rama was, but she refused and gave him her comb. After this, Hanuman set the kingdom of Lanka on fire.
It is worth noting that while Sita was being held hostage in captivity, she refused to please those who kidnapped her. She remained faithful to her husband Rama until the very end.
The brave warrior Rama saves his wife by attacking Lanka with an army of vanaras and bears. The main character managed to besiege Lanka and kill Ravana. To prove her innocence, Sita jumps into the fire, where she is immediately carried out in her arms god Agni. He returned her to Rama and the couple were happily reunited.
When the demon was defeated, Sita, along with her husband and Lakshmana, returned to Ayodhya. A real huge feast was held there in honor of the heir's return from exile.
For a long time, the husband was consumed by doubt about the innocence and fidelity of his wife Sita. These thoughts were prompted by the constant criticism and condemnation of his subjects. It is also worth considering the fact that, according to the canons of that time, a husband must banish a wife who spent at least one night in the house of another man. Based on this, Rama, as a true ruler, decides to send his pregnant wife in the forest, where the sage Valmiki helped her, who later wrote the epic “Ramayana”.
In exile, Sita gave birth to two sons, Lav and Kush, who received the best knowledge from the sage. Having matured and grown stronger, they defeated their father’s army. As a result, the military feuds were over and the children recognized Rama as their father.
The background to this is the meeting that the sage planned. As a result, Rama met his sons, whose existence he previously knew nothing about. Valmiki tries to convince Ram that Sita is absolutely innocent and pure in front of him, but Ram's constant doubts make her become despondent and sad. Sita, unable to cope with her sadness, performed a ritual act, where her soul went to Vaikuntha, and mother earth accepted her for the third time, separating her from her husband. The story ends then Rama and Sita meet again only in heaven.
Analyzing the ancient Indian epic, the goddess Sita is the personification of purity, fidelity, devotion and tenderness. Sita is the standard of chastity and the ideal of pure love. For the sake of her husband Rama, she followed him out of the palace and followed her husband into the forest for many years. This is clear proof of devotion. She humbly went through all the trials of life that were given to her and her husband.
Only the most loving wife is capable of sleep on the ground, eat only roots and fruits, give up life in the palace, the best outfits and jewelry, love and attention from loved ones. For the sake of her husband, she left a luxurious and comfortable life, and followed him in simple clothes, without servants. Going through all the hardships of life, she maintained the strength of calm and balance, no matter where she was, in the palace or in the forest.
Sita was an obedient wife, strictly fulfilling any will of her other half. It was not easy for her to cope with the separation from her beloved husband. And it was even harder to disobey or violate his will, and even more so to doubt his rightness.
Such vivid historical examples are a good lesson for the modern woman, who should strive to correctly understand her destiny, be a good wife and mother, perform your duties correctly. As society becomes more modern and democratic every year, unfortunately, such concepts as humility, chastity, fidelity and purity are lost in society.
The rapid development of civilization at all levels leads to the fact that these concepts manifest themselves as archaisms and are accepted in modern society as relics of the past. Or, as they say, it is considered out of date. But not a single man in the world will refuse a cozy atmosphere at home, where love reigns, there is an obedient wife who recognizes the leadership of a man in the house and where children grow up in complete harmony and understanding of their parents.
All this testifies not to remnants of the past, but about eternal and unchanging values. Another question is whether modern society can accept such high rates of relationships. People who strive to live in the spiritual world will always strictly walk through life alongside the laws of morality and re-read such stories, taking them as examples to follow.
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Rama and Sita
A long time ago in India there lived a powerful king - a raja. He ruled a rich and powerful state, with its capital in the city of Ayodhya. He had several wives and several sons, the eldest son was named Rama, one of the youngest was Lakshmana. These two brothers loved each other very much.
It happened one day that Rama was in the capital of a neighboring state. Driving past the palace of the local rajah, he saw a girl of extraordinary beauty in one of the windows.
- Who is this? - Rama asked the merchant women who were sitting at the palace gates.
- This is Sita, the daughter of our ruler!
Rama turned his horse to look at the girl again, but when he found himself under the window again, it was already tightly closed.
Rama returned to Ayodhya and told his brother about this meeting.
“It seems to me that I fell in love with her at first sight,” he admitted. - What should I do, Lakshmana? Maybe I should tell my father and mother about everything? Or - no, it behooves a man to wait...
And in those distant times in India there was a custom - swayamvar, according to which, in order for the bride to choose a groom, competitions were appointed in her honor. Young men gathered at them, they competed in archery, wrestling, and javelin throwing. To the winner, if, of course, he was to his liking, the bride put a wreath around his neck - by this she let him know that she agreed to become his wife.
And soon Sita’s father decided that it was time to marry off his daughter. As soon as this news reached Ayodhya, Rama and Lakshmana began to prepare for their journey. On the appointed day, early in the morning, they were already driving their chariots into the city where Sita lived. Here everything was ready for the holiday, colorful flags fluttered on every corner, music played, and sweet smoke curled over the fireplaces where food was being heated. Chariots decorated with flowers rolled through the streets every now and then. The impatient roar of the crowd could be heard from the main square.
- How can we not be late! Let's hurry up the horses! - Lakshmana shouted.
They entered the city square. Here everything was ready for the competition: Sita and her father were sitting in a gazebo decorated with flowers, opposite them stood a group of suitors who had come from all over India. The crowd clogged the surrounding streets.
The drums thundered and fell silent. The king stood up and made a sign demanding silence.
“Many years ago,” he began, “one of my ancestors received a bow as a gift from the omnipotent god Shiva.” It was so heavy and strong that no one could ever lift or pull it. Today this bow will be brought to the square. Whoever can bend it will become my daughter's husband. I said!
With these words, the king nodded to the servants. They rushed to the palace and soon returned, bending under the weight of an unusual burden. Seeing how big the bow was and how thick its string was, the suitors became despondent. The servants dragged the bow to the middle of the square, laid it on the ground and left. The suitors began to approach him one by one. The youngest tried the force first. They approached the bow, took hold of it, tensed their muscles, sweat streamed down their faces, but no one was able to lift it off the ground even by a finger. Then the older grooms performed. These were real strongmen. They went out into the middle of the square, proud of their height, the strength of their arms and their previous exploits. Some of them managed to lift the end of the shaft and even grab the string, but... the bow fell, and the string remained motionless.
And suddenly there was a murmur in the crowd. A black-bearded warrior emerged from the line of suitors. His eyes burned with a cruel fire. He walked over to the bow and lifted it off the ground without any visible effort. Everyone gasped, the king rose from his seat, and Sita felt fear penetrate her heart.
- Who is this? - the city residents asked each other.
The warrior rested the end of the bow on the ground, grabbed the shaft with one hand, and placed the palm of the other on the string. Thick crooked fingers dug into her, the muscles of her arms tensed and became like stones. The string began to slowly retract. Sorrowful cries were heard among the suitors.
- Isn’t it Ravana himself who is invincible? - they started talking in the crowd.
The hero strained all his strength. The veins in his forehead bulged and the ends of his bow began to draw closer together. But... there was a ringing sound, similar to the ringing of a saber, the bowstring tore out of his hands, the bow straightened and fell to the ground. And then the hero let out a terrible roar. He stamped his feet and roared like a wounded elephant. His eyes became bloodshot, his appearance, so clear and clear, became unsteady. The body lost its previous shape, instead of one head ten grew, and two arms turned into twenty.
Woe, woe to us! This is true Ravana, the king of the rakshasas, the demon among demons, the lord of those who wander at night, the warrior who knows no pity! - shouted in the crowd.
Before the frightened Sita had time to see the one who almost became her husband, the rakshasa rose into the air and disappeared, like a column of dust scattered by the wind disappears.
And then Rama entered the square. He walked up to the bow, slowly raised it and, spreading his powerful shoulders, began to pull the string. The black, shiny, heavy tree yielded to strong hands - the string separated further and further from the shaft, and finally the bow could not stand it: there was a crack like a thunderclap, the roofs of the houses trembled - the bow shattered in half.
Shouts of joy filled the square.
- He won! Glory to the prince of Ayodhya! - the crowd shouted.
The king stood up, raising his hands in greeting, and Sita came out of the gazebo, approached Rama and, with downcast eyes, laid a wreath on him.
They played a wedding. Rama returned to his father's palace and began to help him rule. Sita came with him to Ayodhya.
Continued >>>
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Information sources: Sakharnov S.V. "Why does the whale have a big mouth: Fairy tales and stories." L. Lenizdat. 1987
Sita devi is the wife of Rama, She is none other than the expansion of Lakshmi devi, the goddess of fortune. All the luck in the world is the energy of Sita. But what is luck? – It’s not just money, it’s all the good things – health, fame, comfort, strong friendship, close-knit family. Luck is everything good in this world, and failure is losing it all. Lakshmi devi appeared as goddess Sita. Everyone knows that Sita is meant exclusively for Rama. What is love? Love means helping Sita in Her love for Rama, isn't that what the people of Ayodhya - Hanuman, Sugriva, Lakshman - did? Their only desire was to see Sita and Rama happy. But Ravana wanted Sita for himself. This is kama or lust. In Chaitanya Charitamrita, Krishnadasa Kaviraj Goswami describes that love is the natural inclination of the soul to desire to please God, but when it instead seeks to enjoy His property out of its own selfish desires, such love is nothing but lust. Love and lust are the same energy, the same inclination. If this energy is directed towards God, it is prema, otherwise it is kama, or lust. (from a lecture by Radhanatha Swami) Sita's Prayer. (Sita said this prayer even before her marriage, in Her father’s house. She prayed for a meeting with Rama, the Lord of Her heart...) 1. jaya jaya girivararAja kiSori| jaya maheSa mukha canda cakori jaya gajabadana khadAnana mAtA| jagata janani dAmini duti gAtA "Glory, glory! To the beautiful young daughter of the King of the Mountains! Like the Chakora bird, which never takes its eyes off the Moon, you never take your eyes off the moon-like face of your husband, Lord Shiva! Glory to you, O mother of Ganesha and Karttikeya !The whole universe and all living beings are your radiance!.. 2. Nahin taba Adi madya avasana| amita prabAu bedu nahin jAna bhava bhava vibhava parAbhava kArini| viSva vimohani svabasa vihArini You are the basis of this world! Even the Vedas cannot describe your glory in its entirety! You are everything: birth, death, and liberation! You are the sovereign mistress of this world, you play with it the way you want! 3. sevata tohi sulabha phala cAri| varadAyanI tripurAri piyArI devi pUji pada kamala tumhAre| sura nara muni saba hohin sukhAre O Devi! At your feet are gods, men and sages. They all seek your glance, which gives happiness. You are ready to fulfill all their desires, but your only desire is the joy of your husband! 4. mora manoratha jAnahun nIken| basahu sadA sura pura sabahI ken kInhe-un pragata na kArana tehIn| asa kahi carana gahe vaidehin O Durga Ma! I cannot speak out loud about my desire, but I am sure you know my heart, you know all my dreams and hopes, you know my thirst! And there is no need for words. Therefore, this Sita, daughter of Videha, simply bows down at your lotus feet!" 5. vinaya prema basa bhai bhavAnI| khasi mAla murati musukAnI sAdara siyan prasAdu sira dhareu| bolI gauri haraSu hiyan bhareu Bhavani, the Lady of this world heard the call of Sita, filled with pure love to Rama. And the Goddess showed a garland, which Sita immediately picked up and put on her neck as the most precious gift. And then Gauri filled Sita's heart with joy, saying: 6. sunu siya satya asIsa hamAri| puji hi mana kAmanA tumhArI nArada vacana sadA Wuci sAcA| so baru milihi jAhin manu rAcA "O Sita! Listen! I see your heart. There is only one desire in it!.. Therefore, accept my blessing: soon the one you dream of will become your husband..."
A chapter from the book “History Written on Lotus Petals” by Alexander Ivanovich Toporov and Peter Stepanovich Losev, where they explore the myths of ancient India based on the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Rigveda and “The Family of Raghu” by Kalidasa.
1. The myth as it is.
Sita, daughter of Janaka, king of Mithila, at the age of eighteen was married to Rama from the family of Dasaratha, king of Kosala. They lived for twelve years in the capital of Kosala, the city of Ayodhya. In the thirteenth year of their marriage, as a result of intrigues at the court of Dasaratha, Rama, Sita and Rama's brother Lakshmana were forced to go into exile. For more than ten years they wandered through the forests, and in the eleventh year of these wanderings, Sita was kidnapped by the Rakshasa king Ravana, brother of the King of kings Kubera. Rama and Lakshmana go in search of Sita.
Ravana, the king of demons, kidnapped Sita to take revenge on Rama for the death of his brothers and the injury of his sister, the rakshasi Shurpanakha. Sita lives with Ravana in the city of Lanka. Ravana cannot make Sita his wife or concubine due to the curse of Nalakubara, the son of Kubera. According to this curse, Ravana's head will break into ten pieces if he tries to possess Sita. After Rama captured Lanka and killed Ravana, Sita, alive and unharmed, returns to Rama, but Rama does not accept her and sends her to all four directions, reproaching her for disgracing the Dasaratha family by staying with Ravana.
Shocked by Rama's words, Sita reproaches him for not telling her about this earlier, because then she would have died of grief, and Rama would not have had to fight Ravana and besiege Lanka. Sita then asks for her funeral pyre to be prepared. But a miracle happens, and the god Agni himself carries Sita out of the fire unharmed.
Agni claims that Sita is pure before Rama and orders Dasaratha's son to take her back. Brahma himself assures Rama of Sita's purity and, together with other gods, persuades Rama to accept her. Rama obeyed Brahma's decision. The couple have been living peacefully and calmly in Ayodhya for just over a year. Sita shows the first signs of pregnancy, but Rama, hearing the gossip of the city commoners about Sita, sends her to the forest to the hermit Valmika. At the same time, Ayodhya is threatened by the demon Lavana, Ravana's nephew. Rama's brother Shatrughna marches against him with an army.
In the forest, Sita gave birth to two sons - Kusha and Lava. Thirteen years later, Rama arranges a horse sacrifice. The hermit Valmiki, Sita, Kusha and Lava come to Ayodhya for this festival. Over the course of several days, Kusha and Lava tell Rama and the people the “Tale of Rama” created by Valmiki.
After the fulfillment of the legend, Rama recognizes Kusha and Lava as his sons. Valmiki swears that Sita is pure and pure.
Sita herself also takes an oath: “If I told the truth, let Mother Earth open her arms to me!” After these words of Sita, the Earth absorbs the unfortunate mother.
This ends the sad story of Sita, to whom fate turned out to be so unfair and unmerciful.
2. Where is the story in the myth.
The love story of Sita and Rama may be less familiar to European and Russian readers than the love stories of Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Leila and Majnun, but throughout the Asian east: in India and Ceylon, in Tibet and Nepal, in Indonesia, in Burma, Thailand and Malaysia, in its fame and popularity in our time it surpasses all of them combined. But all these stories have one common plot feature: the tragic fate that befalls the lovers at the end of the tale. Is happiness really so illusory, love ephemeral, and time conquers everything? It seems that all these stories about great and pure love both in the West and in the East were composed by the same people, according to the same canons. But, if the visible result is the same, this does not mean that the hidden springs of the events described are also the same. Not at all! Moreover, Sita and Rama, with the history of their relationship in its true form, illustrate the uniqueness of human destinies. The real account of their life, hidden behind a mass of fictitious fairy-tale details, in its intrigue, tension and fatality surpasses all the visible fairy-tale romance of the relationship between Rama and Sita and, ultimately, leaves no traces of the ideas about the great love of Sita and Rama. Judge for yourself.
Having become spouses, Sita and Rama live in Ayodhya for twelve years, but they have no children. Moreover, no one seems surprised by this, no one asks questions about this. Then Sita and Rama live in the forests for over ten years, and Sita lives in captivity with Ravana for about four years, but there are still no children. It was only a year after returning to Ayodhya that Sita finally became pregnant. But if people get married and live together, then, as a rule, they have children within a year or two, maximum within five years. The mystery of such a late appearance of Sita’s children seems completely inexplicable, because at the time of the birth of the children, Sita was about forty-five years old, and Rama was generally no less than fifty. Why didn't Sita give birth to children in her youth, like any normal woman? Moreover, this looks anomalous when it comes to an Indian woman.
For an Eastern woman, such an age at the birth of her first child can be called absolutely incredible. According to modern medicine, the first birth of a woman at the age of forty is impossible without a caesarean section.
For Rama, a prince in exile, this problem should be even more important, even a priority, because he needs an heir, a continuer of the Raghu family. What will the subjects think? Without a son, he becomes the most likely target for conspiracies. What would any eastern ruler do in this situation? The answer is obvious: he would take a second wife. Let us remember that Rama's father Dasaratha had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. But Rama does not do this, and when he finds out that Sita has become pregnant, he behaves not like a loving man and not like a father who has been waiting for a child for so long, and not like a hero who defeated the kidnapper of his wife. The town gossip of common people turns out to be higher than love, more significant than the desire to have a long-awaited and, most likely, only heir. Ruthlessly, he condemns his pregnant wife to a life in the forest full of hardships. By doing this, he acted more cruelly than Kaikeyi, who sent him into exile for the sake of the happiness of her son Bharata. It is only the fear of human rumor that pushes him to this terrible act, in fact, to a crime - to drive both his wife and her unborn child (his child!) out of the house. How time has changed him! Once in his youth he himself had to go into exile. And then Rama was characterized by mercy, because for a long time he persuaded Sita to stay in Ayodhya, citing the hardships of forest life. Now he himself condemns his beloved woman, who is expecting a child, to these very hardships. What's the matter, did he love Sita at all?
On the day of Sita's abduction by Ravana, the excitement of the hunter chasing the deer makes Rama forget his duty to protect his wife, and he transfers this responsibility to his brother. Having lost Sita, Rama weeps and laments like a woman.
In his own words, he fought with Ravana solely with the goal of returning Sita, but, having returned her, he drives her away, citing gossip that had spread among his warriors. At the same time, he invites her to marry a rakshasa, a monkey or another person. A husband wooes his wife! The situation is simply incredible. When the rakshasi Shurpanakha, who is in love with him, proposes to him, he and Lakshmana cut off her nose and lips. Why should Sita herself go from her living husband to the first rakshasa who agrees to take her?
By driving away Sita, Rama, in essence, gives up the main result of his victory in the war with Ravana. If the war was really fought because of Sita, then all the labors of Rama, his warriors and allies, all the victims of this war were in vain - he himself abandoned them. And his warriors and allies, how should they feel about the fact that their wounds and the death of their comrades were ultimately in vain? Shouldn't they have expressed their indignation to Rama at his decision? He behaved like a person who does not have the right to dispose of the fruits of a common victory.
Rama treats Sita not as a beloved wife, but rather as a stranger, even worse - as a slave, a trophy of war. In none of the situations in the epic that we have examined, he not only does not protect her, but, in fact, strives to get rid of her.
Sita's behavior as a beloved and loving woman, wife and mother is no less contradictory. She lives with Rama in Ayodhya for twelve years and in the forests for ten years - a total of twenty-two years - and they have no children. Need I say that a beloved and loving woman will strive to have a child from her beloved man as quickly as possible? At the moment of her abduction by Ravana, she seems to be in a hurry to be stolen. First, she sends Rama on a hunt, and then practically accuses Lakshmana of wanting to take possession of his brother’s wife and sends him after Rama. Thus, she completely deprives herself of protection. Then, being protected by a forbidden line, she herself violates it, going beyond its limits to meet the future kidnapper. Such behavior at best indicates frivolity, and at worst - a conspiracy with the kidnapper!
After returning from the forest with her children - Kusha and Lava - Sita utters a strange oath. When a person wants to be believed, he will say: “I will fall into the ground if I am lying!” And Sita, on the contrary, says: “I will fall into the ground if I am telling the truth!” This oath does not give her a single chance to live. If she does not fall through the ground, then she will be considered a deceitful woman. Her fate in this case is unenviable. And if it fails, then there will be no reward for the truth. Why then such an oath? In essence, in any case, she dooms herself to death. That is, even if Rama believes her, she will not be able to return to him. In fact, she is ready to die rather than return to Rama! The words of the oath testify: either let people punish me, or I will punish myself. This is the decision of a person who finds himself in a dead end, who does not agree with the judgment of people. It's a challenge! Sita chooses the latter - suicide!
As a mother, Sita doomed Kusha and Lava to orphanhood by her act. Having returned to Ayodhya with her thirteen-year-old children, she does not even count on late maternal happiness. She spent seventeen of her forty years without Rama. And returning after a long separation turned into a final departure from life. Not hard-won and long-awaited happiness, but a tragic fate becomes the crown of her life.
What about the other characters related to Sita? While she is being held captive by Ravana, Janaki’s daughter is guarded by the “curse of Nalakubara.” Nalakubara is the son of Kubera, the beloved grandson of Brahma, that is, Brahma himself protects her with this curse. Due to the “curse of Nalakubara”, Ravana’s head will shatter into a hundred pieces if he takes possession of Sita. What a strange form of defense! Why is Rama's wife protected by the curse of a complete stranger who has nothing to do with the family of Raghu, the family of Dasaratha, or the family of Janaki?
In general, it is the husband’s responsibility to protect a woman, and before marriage she is protected by her father. Therefore, the “curse of Nalakubara” becomes logical only if we assume that he is Sita’s husband.
Why did Ravana kidnap Sita? Let's remember how the events happened. After the defeat of the Khara troops and the mutilation of Shurpanakha, Ravana consults with those close to him. But instead of gathering troops and going out to meet Rama, he acts more than strangely for a king and a warrior. Instead of revenge for a military defeat - the abduction of the enemy's wife. This method is inadequate to the offense inflicted. The defeat of the troops and the death of the brothers should have been followed by a military attack. But Ravana acted differently. The abduction of Sita would have made sense if Ravana, in response to the injuries inflicted on Shurpanakha, would have crippled Sita and sent her back to Rama in that form. This is exactly what any eastern ruler of that time would have done. But Ravana placed his captive in Lanka in a privileged position. Separately from all the women of the harem, she lives in the Ashoka grove, and for four years Ravana has not made her one of them. A demon is more merciful than a human! That is, Ravana does not even try to make her a wife or concubine. Let us not forget that at the time of the abduction, according to legend, Sita was about forty years old. Most likely, Ravana did not even think of taking possession of her as a woman. Then why is he kidnapping her? Did Sita really live with Rama in the forest? How she actually ended up in Lanka, where, as we now understand, she was safer than next to Rama.
The seventh book of the Ramayana reports that, having taken Lanka from Kubera, Ravana captured a huge number of women: the wives of celestials, rakshasas, gandharvas... It was from these captives that he formed his harem. So, did they all voluntarily cheat on their husbands? How did the celestials choose their wives, that they so easily and quickly cheated on them with the demon? Why does the “curse of Nalakubara” protect not the wives of the celestials, which would be natural, but exclusively Sita alone? Ravana does not even have the thought of touching Sita. This can only be explained if we assume that Nalakubara is Sita's husband, and Ravana is her father! And indeed, in some versions of the Ramayana (Jain, Tibetan, Khotanese, Cambodian, Malay) Ravana is the father of Sita!
Since Ravana (or rather, Sravana - the letter Sh was discarded in order to demonize this character) is the brother of Vaishravana (Vai-sravana), then Sita is Nalakubara’s cousin. Such kinship has never been a serious obstacle to marriage. But marriage or simply a love relationship between father and daughter was condemned among all peoples and at all times! The thought of the possibility of such a connection could really make any normal father’s head explode.
Sita died, caught between a rock and a hard place, between her father Sravana and her husband Nalakubara. But what is the true story of Sita and what does Rama Dasharatha have to do with it? Let's read the "Version of Historical Events".
3. Version of historical events.
The historical picture of the events of the Ramayana can only be presented as probabilistic, that is, setting out the actual history with some degree of probability, because all data was obtained exclusively from legendary sources. Analysis of these data led us to the following conclusions.
Sita is the daughter of Ravana and the wife of Nalakubara, the son of Kubera. Ravana - the grandson of Brahma and the half-brother of Kubera - acts in the events described as a military leader and, undoubtedly, took part in the hostilities against the newcomers from the North - the nomadic Shakas or Aryans, as they are more often called in both legendary and historical sources. This war was going on during his youth and Ravana (then Sravana), being the grandson of the supreme ruler, could not avoid participating in it, even if he wanted to. But, judging by the text of the Ramayana, Ravana was a brave warrior and a good military leader, and therefore it can be assumed that he became one of the most active participants in the war. At some stage of his turbulent life, he gave his daughter Sita in marriage to his nephew Nalakubara, son of Kubera and great-grandson of Brahma. At this time, there was still a truly brotherly, trusting relationship between the brothers - Sravana and Vaishravana. Perhaps Sravana was counting on the support of the prudent and far-sighted Kubera, and he, in turn, relied on a strong and influential brother who had real power - an army subordinate only to him. But after a series of military failures, when the Shakas captured the flat part of the country and Brahma with his entire family and courtiers went to the mountains on Gandhamadana, the alliance began to crack. At this time, Brahma already realized that he could not cope with the invaders by force, and drew up a plan for a peaceful solution to the problem: first, intermarriage with the leaders of the Shakas, and then gradually assimilate all the newcomers, who were generally few in number compared to the local population. The transfer of Lanka to Kubera and his appointment as custodian of the treasury became a material, understandable to all, embodiment of this sharp turn in the policy of the Supreme Ruler. Returning from the lost war, Shravan realized that he was left out of work, that no one needed his military and leadership talents, and that his warriors were faced with a tedious and hopeless guard service. And who is to blame for this? Of course, this cunning, flattering and treacherous Kubera, it was he who inspired the old senile man falling into childhood with a completely unrealistic plan of peaceful coexistence with the occupiers, disastrous for the country! He must be killed, Lanka and the treasury captured, new troops mustered, the soldiers well paid and, continuing the war, the spirit knocked out of these northern barbarians. So, or almost so, Shravan thought and he was tormented by a feeling of resentment for himself and for his warriors who shed blood when the rear rats, whispering in the secluded corners of the old palace, agreed to seize power, pushing aside the military class most worthy of this power. The decision has been made, we must act! With a small detachment of professional warriors devoted to him, Sravana suddenly captured Lanka, where he was enthusiastically greeted by the population, consisting mainly of garrison warriors and city guards - rakshasas and their families. But they failed to capture or kill Kubera. He, along with Nalakubara and a small detachment of servants and guards who remained loyal to him, fled, capturing a small part of the treasury - as much as they could carry.
At this time, Sita was pregnant, the birth of the child was expected soon and, apparently, she simply was not able to bear such a sudden flight. They left her, believing that nothing threatened her: Sravana was her father and would not kill in any case. The solution to this problem was postponed to the future. Most likely, according to the customs of that time, Sita was married between the ages of sixteen and twenty. We know that her first child was Kusha. Thus, Kusha is the son of Nalakubara and the great-great-grandson of Brahma. As for the second son, Lava, we will talk about him later. According to legend, at the time of Sita's return to Ayodhya, the age of her sons - thirteen years - is very close to the fourteen years of their stay in the forests. According to our version, Sita lived with her father in Lanka all this time, that is, the time during which Sravana owned Lanka - fourteen years. Thus, Sita gave birth to her first child not at the age of forty-five, as stated in the text of the Ramayana, but when she was seventeen to twenty years old. This is real, although not as romantic as in the legend, because even with modern medical capabilities, the birth of the first child when a woman is forty-five years old is a unique case, but at that time it was simply impossible.
Forced to flee to Gandhamadana, Kubera was in despair. Everything is lost! Having met with the Progenitor, he told him everything, without hiding his pessimism about the possibility of returning Lanka and most of the treasury left there. Brahma calmed him down and began to draw up a plan of specific actions. First of all, while still shocked by such news and very angry with his grandson, he deprived Shravan of the status of heir. As punishment, the Progenitor ordered that his warlike grandson be called not Sravana (Glorious), but Ravana (Roaring). The rebel was turned into a demon. Having cooled down a little, Swayambhu undertook to draw up a plan that would allow him to slowly but surely seize the initiative, find allies, surround Ravana from all sides, and then defeat his troops and return Lanka. And what was Ravana himself doing at this time?
The capture of Lanka and the treasury completed only the first stage of his plan. Then, using the captured gold, Ravana strengthened Lanka, collected, armed and trained a new army and, leaving a strong garrison in Lanka under the command of a reliable person, went to fight the Shakas. Having learned about this, Brahma, of course, was only happy: maybe he will break his neck in this war and then it will be easier to return Lanka; It’s a pity, of course, that some of the gold is gone forever, but there’s a lot left, and the mines on Gandhamadana are still working, Ravana didn’t take them away, and he will never be able to take them away. In short, everything is not so bad, and now you can calmly prepare for revenge.
There are only seven legends about the wars of Ravana in the epic, extensive and verbose, like other descriptions of wars in the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
In the first of them - in the legend “Invasion of the Rakshasas in the North” - it is said that Ravana placed his brother Kumbhakarna in a cave near the city of Lanka, and after attacking the possessions of Kubera and Indra he returned to the city of Lanka. Therefore, Ravana was already in possession of Lanka before the attack. Ravana then attacked Shiva. The legend says that Shiva pinched his hands with a mountain. Having received rebuff, Ravana was forced to beg for mercy, and the whole matter ended in an agreement between him and Shiva.
The Lord of Lanka fought with the Kshatriyas in the north, invaded the kingdom of Yama, kidnapped women, and fought with the king of the Haihayas, Arjuna Kartavirya. During the war with Indra, the king of the gods is captured by Ravana's son Meghanada, who has since received the nickname Indrajit (Conqueror of Indra). Only Brahma's intervention helped Indra.
From all these legends, the only thing that actually follows is that after the capture of Lanka, Ravana fought for a long time with a variety of opponents and returned to Lanka with nothing, that is, in essence, he lost these wars.
Brahma, of course, was immediately informed about the return of his unlucky grandson. But he was already ready for this. During Ravana's absence, Brahma established relations with “Indra's friend” - Dasaratha. A decision was made: to use his son Rama as the leader of the mercenary army, so that none of his contemporaries, who were not privy to the secret background of the events, would even have the thought of connecting these events with the great Ancestor and his large family. The entire preparation for Rama's campaign: the organization of the conflict in the Dasaratha family, the recruitment of troops in the mountainous regions subject to the king of the mountaineers Shiva, the murder of Valin and the treacherous activities of Vibhishana - all this was organized by Swayambhu during the wars of Ravana. All that remained was to wait for Ravana’s return, surround Lanka, and the trap would slam shut. The black sheep will be thrown to the wolves! Calm and order will return to the house of Brahma.
The capture of Lanka was incredible! Located in an inaccessible place, well guarded by Ravana's warriors, it seemed that it could be defended indefinitely. But the outcome of the matter, as always in such cases, was decided by the “fifth column” - Kubera’s people in Lanka (Avindhya, Trijata and others) and the betrayal of Vibhishana and his advisers. It was Vibhishana who organized a completely open, unhindered passage of Rama’s troops through the “ocean” (the ocean of air - “Samudra”!), that is, in other words, through the gorge that separated the gates of Lanka from the surrounding mountains. There are no miracles! This rule is based on common sense. After the victory, the traitor took control of captured Lanka.
During his reign in Lanka, Ravana married his daughter Sita to her other cousin, Lavana. From him she gave birth to a second son, Lava. When Lanka was captured by the troops of Rama Dasharatha, the question arose, what to do with Sita? Nalakubara apparently did not love her enough to take her back after her second marriage. Labana was not in the captured city. Then, through Avindhya, Kubera's trusted man, it was proposed to give her to Rama.
But Rama could not appreciate this proposal. Worse, he gave the poor woman a new insult by saying that it did not matter to him whether she was virtuous or sinful. For him, enjoying it is the same as eating food that has already been touched by a dog’s tongue.
For Rama, this gift is humiliation, and for Brahma, behind this refusal of Rama, the mercenary’s contempt and his claims are hidden. Things took an unexpected turn. The mercenary refused a reward for his work, he neglected the opportunity to become related to Brahma. Brahma's mercy remains mercy even if a person is killed. Brahma does not punish, he shows the greatest mercy! Rama proposed to marry Sita to a rakshasa, a monkey or some other person. Now Brahma has been given the greatest insult! The gift of Brahma cannot be refused!!! This sealed the fate of both Rama and Lakshmana. The next day they were killed... (We considered this option according to Kalidasa - “Rod of Raghu”).
For a long time, in a lengthy speech, Brahma convinced Rama that there was nothing unusual in such a marriage. This is also what wise kings who observe dharma do, and even righteous people. And Rama, having accomplished his feat in the name of the gods, became like the immortals themselves. Brahma embarked on such revelations that other gods had not heard from him. He is ready to give this mercenary the status of immortal, that is, to declare him a god!
Aranyakaparva. Chapter 275. Shlokas 29 - 34.
"Brahma said:
...You, O hero, destroyed the enemy of the gods, the Gandharvas, the (demonic) serpents, as well as the Yakshas, Danavas and great holy sages. Previously, thanks to my mercy, no living creature could cope with it. There was a reason that I tolerated this wicked man for some time...You, O being like an immortal, accomplished a great feat in the name of the gods.”
Ravana created so many problems for the celestials that they found themselves in the greatest difficulty. Ravana is the enemy of such a heterogeneous coalition that he has become disliked by everyone. Brahma is forced to admit that there are circumstances that are beyond his power. In fact, he admits that he made a mistake. He can afford such recognition only in the narrowest circle. Mortals shouldn't know anything! A rare recognition, although expressed very subtly, by hint. Formally, from a theological point of view, God (Brahma) is the only cause of the world. Brahma used Aesopian language to say that there are reasons and circumstances that he himself must take into account. Worse, he, Brahma, must endure and wait for the right moment to remove the obstacle. What a blow to the pride of the immortals!
The powerlessness of the gods is so obvious, and Brahma admits this, that they are forced to turn to people for help. But people must also understand and appreciate the gift of the Lord of the gods. Rama completed the task assigned to him and had to evaluate the opportunities opening up to him. To become related to Brahma himself, what could be higher! It is difficult to understand why he decided to refuse what was offered by the immortal Brahma himself, a mere mortal, too mortal... It’s a pity. Rama's fate was sealed.
Sita had no choice. Her father, who loved and protected his daughter, died. She had two husbands: Nalakubara and Lavana, but the first abandoned her, and the second was unknown where and was the enemy of Kubera and Brahma. The moment will come when Lavana, at the cost of his life, will attempt to save his son Lava, but he cannot and does not even try to protect Sita. Sita's great-grandfather Brahma did everything he could to arrange her life, but this did not help. Now only death could bring her relief. She committed suicide by throwing herself into the abyss. The earth closed its arms over the suffering woman. The innocent victim of intrigue and hasty political decisions has found her last refuge.
Many years have passed. Some private episodes were erased from the memory of descendants, instead of them others were invented and inserted into the narrative, the assessment of some facts was changed, others were inconvenient for the writers
good news - were discarded. In conveying the story of those events, the narrators, to please the listeners, greatly romanticized the relationships of the characters. From the unfulfilled personal life of Rama and Sita, from the hopes and aspirations of the listeners, a mosaic was put together about the great, pure and beautiful love between Sita and Rama, about the abduction of Sita by the rakshasa demon, about Rama’s selfless desire to return her, about the obstacles in his path, about the great war with demons, about the illusory and fleeting nature of happiness.
In the epics of many peoples of the world there is a plot in which the cause of war is the kidnapping of a woman; just remember the Iliad. But always, along with the abduction of a woman, there are other, more real reasons: conflict of economic interests, thirst for profit, disputes over borders, and the like. In the conflict between the Trojans and the Achaeans, the real reason for the war was that Troy, due to its geographical location, controlled the sea route through the straits from the Aegean Sea to the Marmara and further to the Black Sea. The wife of the Spartan king Menelaus had absolutely nothing to do with it, and certainly her abduction (if it happened) was not the cause of this most famous war of the ancient world. The authors of epic tales widely used this plot to attract the “romantically inclined” part of the public (mainly women) to a completely serious presentation of political and military history. The tastes of the public were a kind of customer, dictating to the creators of the epic the need to clothe history in adventurous and romantic forms and thereby maintain the interest of listeners in a serious presentation of ancient history. This technique is widely used in our time. Quite seriously and accurately presenting the basic facts of real history, the adventure novels of Walter Scott and Alexandre Dumas certainly contain a story of romantic love as the main plot line. The success of the authors among listeners, readers and viewers in such cases is a foregone conclusion.
Everything that is said about Sita in the Ramayana suggests that the legend of Sita's abduction by Ravana is simply a literary device, introduced partly to attract a certain type of audience, partly to create the illusion of ease of comprehension of the story. Until now, the capture of a beautiful woman by bandits and terrorists is a favorite plot device in world cinema.
Rama Dasharatha is the heir to the kingdom of Koshala and in his actions should have been based on state interests. But let’s say we are mistaken and Rama is not a mercenary going into battle for money, but a romantic and ardent lover, sacrificing everything for the sake of his beloved Sita, as it is in the minds of most listeners and readers of the Ramayana. How would this end? Nothing good!
There are examples in history when a monarch in love, precisely for the sake of his beloved woman, puts the country into a state of deep crisis. The most striking example of such a development is the famous story of the Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra.
In 1612, the Mughal prince Khurram, son of Jahangir, fell in love with the beautiful Arjumanad Bana, daughter of the first vizier. The lovers got married, no one interfered with their marriage. The bride was then nineteen years old. In 1627, Khurram became king under the name Shah Jahan. He adored his wife; without her, not a single important ceremony began, not a single state act was adopted. She was a member of the State Council, no one dared to challenge her opinion. During the seventeen years of their marriage, Banu bore him thirteen children, but died during the birth of the fourteenth in 1630.
According to Shah Jahan himself, her last wish was for him to create an unrivaled mausoleum for her.
The desire of his beloved dead wife became for her husband the desire of God. Shah Jahan fulfilled this wish. Banu's posthumous gift was supposed to be the crown of their love.
In the blue waters of the Yamuna, like a pearl in a mirror, a majestic and light structure, perfect in all proportions, is reflected - a hymn of love. The color of the building changes: sky blue, whimsical pink, delightfully orange. At night, in the moonlight, it turns snowy white. Time seems to leave no traces on the stones of the mausoleum, the beauty of which is admired by people from different countries. Thousands of tourists visiting India every year create unforgettable memories for a lifetime.
But what did it cost the country and Shah Jahan himself! Construction lasted twenty-two years, thirty million rupees were spent, and thousands of people died during the work. The Dutch merchant Van Twist writes:
“... entire families drowned in the river, and cannibalism was committed openly. Gangs of desperate people robbed the banks. Many survivors were killed by the plague... The main cause of the disaster was excessive taxes and the greed of officials who did not leave supplies for the peasants.”
On the other bank of the Yamuna, a second mausoleum made of black marble was supposed to be built - for Shah Jahan himself, but it was not built. The damage to the state and its inhabitants was so enormous that the country was struck by a widespread economic crisis. Great love brought great troubles to the country. The death of one beautiful woman caused the death of thousands of people in the country. Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb, with the support of the clergy, carried out a coup and imprisoned his father in the palace tower, where for the last nine years of his life, being essentially under house arrest, he admired the Taj Mahal, the greatest deed of his life, through the tower window.
Admiring the beauty of the Taj Mahal, it is unlikely that modern tourists would want to live in India of that time. Have you ever thought about the truth of the phrase that beauty will save the world? Please give examples! But beauty ruined thousands of lives. Let us ask ourselves: does the world need saving? Usually such a question is not discussed, the answer is clear to everyone - it is needed. Only the choice of specific forms of salvation is subject to discussion. Religious people with eschatological expectations engage in such discussions. They need the end of the world for their own aggrandizement, since it is they who act as saviors, offering their own ways to solve problems, or, more simply, by inciting fear, subjugating people. The thesis that beauty will save the world was put forward by writers, artists, that is, people of creative work. But has contemplating monuments, paintings, reading books stopped at least one war? Did they improve humanity? What makes a person perfect is not the contemplation of man-made examples of beauty, but their creation, that is, beauty perfects and “saves” only its creator. Beauty is always elitist. Only a few out of thousands are capable of creating beautiful and majestic products. On the other hand, any piece of art, no matter how mundane it may sound, always has its own market value. Man-made samples of art become a commodity and many of them quickly become the property of wealthy people who, in pursuit of more and more new samples for their collections, without noticing it, become their slaves. Beauty, like the gods, requires sacrifice from those who worship it and them. The beauty of beautiful creatures is either a means of enrichment or a means of controlling the people who worship it. This is true both for people of antiquity and for our contemporaries.
Another thing is the beauty of nature. Its views are beautiful: plains, forests, mountains, gorges, rivers, sunrises and sunsets, the southern sky on a moonless night, the aurora, waterfalls created by the hand of an unknown creator, did not claim a single human life, their creation did not shed a single drop of blood ! Not a single rich man bought himself the exclusive right to admire them. The beauty of nature, unlike man-made, is natural and not for sale. It lasts for millions of years. Compare with human products, which are a maximum of three to four thousand years old. She elevates without enslaving.
But let's return to the events of the Ramayana. Millions of people in India worship Rama, and Rama worshiped Sita. As you can see, the picture we painted does not at all correspond to mythical ideas. What is the matter here, since similar things happened with other characters of the ancient Indian epic - with Indra, and with Krishna, and with the Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata? The answer is simple: they all ended up in the winning camp. The winners are not judged because there is no one to judge them, because the vanquished have no offspring left. The descendants of the winners admire the “glorious deeds” of their ancestors. The Brahmins used Indra up to a certain point, and then gave him the status of an immortal deity. Rama also deserved their gratitude, and if he had accepted Brahma’s offer, then, undoubtedly, he would have found a place in the power pyramid. At his core, Rama Dasharatha is an adventurer and an immoral person who pays little attention to such things as honor, conscience, and decency. Let us remember how vilely he killed Valin. And how insidiously and cruelly he and his brother Lakshmana treated Shurpanakha and Ayomukhi, who, by the way, confessed their love to them. If he does not value the love of another being, and even mocks it, then is he himself capable of love and self-sacrifice? And if the example of a rakshasi (in fact, just a woman born into the guard’s family) seems unconvincing to someone, then let’s take as an example his “wife” - Sita. Rama drove the pregnant woman, who was supposedly dearly loved by him, out of the house only because of the gossip of the city mob. A loving person who is capable of sacrificing his life for the sake of his beloved will certainly not be afraid of the gossip of the crowd.
Rama behaves like a typical mercenary, a “soldier of fortune,” and treats Sita as a spoil of war, which is why he offers her to the rakshasas, monkeys and other people. Such a person will not sacrifice even a handful of small coins for the sake of love, much less his life and kingdom.
Let's say it again. It was not love for the beautiful Sita that was the cause of Rama Dasharatha's war with Ravana, but the family conflict between Kubera and Ravana. The unfortunate Sita - the wife of Nalakubara and the daughter of Ravana - became an innocent victim of political intrigue in the Brahma family.