Courtsey: Encyclopaedia of Indian Iconography, Vol. VI

All Compassionate and All Powerful of South Indian Stories  Vasudha Narayanan

I did ask her then as to why then aunts sang regularly. I did not know was on Sita’s left side. I don’t the meaning of these songs at the time, recall if I got an answer. My but they sounded beautiful. Tyagaraja grandmother’s answer, and the many (1767-1847), one of the greatest South stories that she and my mother told me Indian music composers had sung in were immensely influential on my life. I Kambodi raga: ma janaki, chetta HE picture of Rama, Sita and grew up thinking that Sita was not just battag... In this song, Rama is praised very special, but very powerful. Lakshmana in my maternal for becoming great by taking the hand The songs that I heard women grandmother’s house was of Sita. Tyagaraja also hailed Sita as a T sing at joyous occasions, too, told me different than the one in my paternal source of refuge and salvation. In his that Sita’s marriage was a happy one. grandmother’s house. As a child, I song Sri Janaka tanaye, Tyagaraja On birthdays, festivals, and other commuted between the two houses asks Sita, the beloved daughter of auspicious days, young girls and boys almost every other day and the Janaka, to protect him. are adorned with coloured powder on difference was palpable. The Sita in Although I loved the songs, it our feet (nalangu) and given a ritual was the stories that held me my father’s house was from bath. Nalangu is also done for spellbound. My grandmother and somewhere in the north - Sita’s hair weddings. During the nalangu mother told me many stories of Sita’s was covered and she sat on the left ceremony, women rub turmeric paste side of Rama. The Sita in my mother’s on the bride’s feet and massage oil into strength and her desire to protect us. natal home, however, was in the her hair. Finally, two women bless the I have chosen to retell just three of typical style of Tamil Nadu: her head girl by waving a dish of red water these narratives here. I had grown was not covered and she was on (called arati in south India; waving of up thinking that everyone knew Rama’s right side. It was this camphor or fire is called karpura these stories, only to later realise configuration that I saw in the arati), All the while, they sing songs that they are apparently well known -Rama temple in appropriate for the occasion. The most mostly in the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Royapettah High Road, Mylapore, popular refrain are the lines everyone Pradesh region. that we visited regularly as well as knows: sita kalyana, vaibhogame, As a child, my favourite was the in all the major temples of Tamil Nadu rama kalyanam, vaibhogame - story of Sita and the ball. When Sita - Madurantakam, Vaduvur and Tillai ”Rejoice, it is Sita’s wedding, rejoice it was a little girl, she and her friends Vilagam. When I asked my is Rama’s wedding.” Long before I loved playing with a ball. One day, it grandmother about this, she said, heard of Sita’s unhappiness, these fell under the immense bow of Shiva “The right side is the auspicious side songs had already made their that King Janaka had on display in — we keep all good things to the impression on me. his palace. The girlfriends were right side. That is why we go around And then there were the Carnatic unhappy-who could ever extricate the temple clockwise.” music songs that my grandmother and the ball from beneath this bow? Sita

24 MANUSHI was not worried. She ran to the bow Lionel Price himself supervised indeed their Goddess was that that no human being could lift, the the building of the best walls for this powerful, she would protect the bow that not even a team of people reservoir, only to have them all reservoir walls from breaking down. could lift. Happily Sita lifted it with collapse. If she did so, said Mr. Price, he On one visit, he went to the her left hand, picked up the ball, himself would build a temple for her! outer perimeters of the temple and gently put down the bow and went The monsoon that year was saw that the construction of a particularly severe. For days there back to play. It so happened that her shrine had been halted. The local was no respite. One day, the father, Janaka, had been quietly people told him that they were reservoir was almost full; Mr. Price observing her. Astonished, and building a shrine for Sita, but had knew it was only a matter of hours marvelling at the ease with which Sita stopped because of a shortage of before it would overflow. The strong had handled this bow, he resolved funds. One of them proceeded to walls constructed for the fourth time that only a man who could also lift it describe the grace and grandeur of in four years would be destroyed yet was Worthy of her. Sita. The written account of this that again. At 11:00 p.m. there was a I loved the idea of Sita appeared in 1904 narrative: “Then thunderclap and an enormous effortlessly picking up the bow to another began to expatiate on the breaking sound-the sound he had retrieve her ball. Now, when Rama great merits of their Janaki-Devi heard year after year, signaling the lifted it, he was not the first to do so. (Rama’s wife), how she chased collapse of the walls. The rains She had already done it. It almost away sorrow, poured plenty over all, slowed a bit after an hour. Lionel seemed like it was their shared secret. and was ever solacious for her Price dressed and went to examine devotees... “(Go vindachary a 1906: Years later, in the United States, I the devastation. To his 63). Mr. Price exclaimed that if saw this story gracefully performed astonishment, the walls had not by some young Indian students in a crumbled-the roaring sound was the water being contained within the classical Bharata Natyam dance. Its lake-reservoir. Near the wall, he saw visual presentation in this an ethereal blue light (my hair would performing art made it come alive stand on end every time I read this even more forcefully. part) and when he went nearby, he There were two other stories saw two men with bows and arrows. that emphasized Sita’s power in There was a woman and a monkey saving her devotees. One tale was nearby. He went closer but could not set in Madurantakam (Tamil Nadu) touch them. The light shone through around 1884 and focussed on the them. The other workers could not residents of Madurantakam and a see anything. Lionel Price was filled British administrative official. with an unnatural joy; he fell on his Lionel Price was the Collector of knees and prayed. Chengelpet district in Tamil Nadu. He Rama, Lakshmana and Sita had would visit the city of been there to protect their people Madurantakam (50 miles south of from floods. Lionel Price was convinced about the “authenticity” Chennai) regularly. There is a famous of his spiritual experience. His heart temple for Rama and Sita here and and mind had no doubt that this also a very large lake. The local was a religious vision. The next day, people call this “Rama Eri kaatha he started to build the shrine for Raamar,” the Rama who protects the Sita. Such stories, strengthen the lake. Apparently, every rainy season popular image that Sita’s power can (October to December in this area), Shadow play puppet in leather, work any miracle. Sita can do the wall near the overflow area of the illustrating Sita; Andhra Pradesh, anything. To protect her children in lake would collapse and the local area 19th century Madurantakam, she sent Rama and would be flooded. Courtsey: Crafts Museum, Delhi Sita to guard the lake from flooding.

No. 118 25 While I had been to the temple century and worked under the Qutb Gopanna (b. 1630) was a revenue many times, it was only a few years Shahis of Golconda in modern collector (tahsildar) of the Muslim back that I saw the inscriptions on Andhra Pradesh. Ramdas is known king. He became a devotee of Rama the wall in /Sita’s shrine. in the South for his beautiful songs and thereafter was called Ramdas. Since Sita is identified completely to Rama and Sita. Apparently the According to the story, he with Lakshmi, the shrine here is Qutb Shahis were literary (mis)appropriated the money’s simply known as tayar sannidhi or connoisseurs who encouraged the collected from tax revenues and used “mother’s shrine.” The donor’s development of Urdu, Persian and them to build a temple for Rama in name is clearly inscribed over the Telegu. From written accounts we Bhadrachalam. (Sometimes my lintel of Sita’s shrine: “This [act of] know that they seem to have been grandmother would say that this was on very good terms with their Hindu dharma [donation] is that of the under the express command of Rama, subjects. One of the kings, Company official, the Collector and was all done to “test” Ramdas. I Mohammed Quli, had married a Lionel Price.” was not sure if Rama should have Hindu woman called Bhagmati or While most of the local children done this and this line of the story Bhagyavati. He had built a town around Chennai have heard this story was not emphasized much). The king eight miles from Golconda; he called there are few written versions of it. it Bhagyanagar in honour of his wife; incarcerated Ramdas. This was to Apparently the incident took place this is the town that is known today give him time to come up with the somewhere in the early 1880’s. It was as Hyderabad. But my grandmother’s money he owed to the government. retold in the Central Hindu College version bypassed these details and As the amount was about six lakhs magazine (vol. IV, 1904) and the focussed just on Ramdas’ . and Ramdas was in prison, prospects original account is quoted at length of repayment seemed somewhat by A. Govindacharya in his Life of remote. For twelve years, Ramdas . The story ends with suffered. The king reluctantly set a Lionel Price exclaiming: “I solemnly date to have Ramdas put to death. tell you that I have received a lesson The night before he was to be tonight that I will never forget. I executed, Ramdas called upon Sita for always more or less believed that God help. He sang to her, calling upon her was not the monopoly of the as Janaka’s daughter (Janaka tanaye). Christian Church. I am sure of it now. He also told Sita to communicate the Early in the morning shall the Devi’s news of his plight to Rama and temple begin to rise.” complained that Rama might not hear

No dramatic converrsion him. But what about her? Ramdas experience from one religion to pleaded for her help. another, just a quiet acceptance of the Janaka’s daughter came through. manifestation of divinity. From my She hauled out Rama and narrator’s point of view, Sita gets a Lakshmana from bed (the colloquial temple, her children in the village are nature of the narrative is saved and once again we are treated spellbinding) and told them to get to an example of Sita’s protection, a their act together. She dispatched theme also reflected in classical them to save Ramdas, right then and narratives about her. there, in the middle of the night! The The last story concerns Sita’s brothers arrived at the king’s palace compassion to Ramdas. Bhadrach- and knocked on the door. Rama and alam Ramdas is a famous composer Lakshmana then entered his who sang panegyrics in praise of chambers and told him that they were Rama. Not to be confused with the friends of Ramdas; they were there Ramdas of Maratha-empire fame, this to pay up the “loan.” They asked Ramdas was born in the seventeenth the king to count the money, and

26 MANUSHI when he said it was in Illustration by BADRI NARAYAN, Courtsey: The sought refuge. But you order, they asked for a blessed and protected ‘the receipt. They obtained demonesses at the very time one (my grandmother they were tormenting you, would say that it was a even when they did not ask signature with paan juice), for protection. placed the receipt under In the classical literature Ramdas’ pillow in the of the Sri Vaishnava prison and went home to tradition, Sita’s grace is sleep. Sita told Ramdas in paradigmatic; she saves his dream that he was not and causes Rama also to to worry. The next day, save. Her grace is even Ramdas was released. more important than that of For my grandmother, Rama because while Rama this was yet another act of needs a “reason” to save- protection in the busy life perhaps some semblance of of Sita. She saved Ramdas; humility on the part of the two centuries later Sita human devotee - Sita shields the children in protects them Madurantakam. It seemed spontaneously and perfectly natural that she unconditionally - with no was accessible to anyone, strings attached. It is after anytime. She listened and acted. In Rama come and rescue her from her that Rama saves those in need. the language of today, she was Ravana’s custody. Pillai While many tellings of the “mighty powerful.” Lokacharya’s contemporary, Ramayana focus on Sita following While Sita’s strength and Desika(1268-1368)says that Rama, the stories I heard growing maternal love were highlighted in Lakshmi/Sita never punishes the up highlighted the quality of her these stories, I was also fascinated human soul. He refers to Sita many gracious and compassionate by a tangential issue -that Rama and times in his writings, for in the leadership. I recall the episode Lakshmana appeared and gave narrative of the Ramayana one is where it was only after Sita picked made pointedly aware that Sita was “darshari” to Lionel Price and the up the Shiva dhanush that Rama ready to forgive even those who Muslim king -and not their devotees. lifted it. Many years ago, when my harm her. He recalls several times that My grandmother, however, felt that Trijata could confidently encourage first son was two years old, I told Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita are there, the demonesses who had tried to him stories while feeding him. I had all the time, giving darshan to intimidate Sita, saying that they not planned on it, but the first tale everyone in Madurantakam and in simply had to bow down before her he learned to tell was how Sita lifted Bhadrachalam. and she would protect them from the bow so she could play ball with These stories of Sita’s protection Hanuman’s acts of revenge. Desika her friends.  and strength are already present in also quotes a verse of Parasara Sri Vaishnava literature between the Bhattar, a twelfth-century Sri We invite our readers to send twelfth and fourteenth centuries. Vaishnava philosopher; this verse is 1 us material on Sita from the Pillai Lokacharya, a thirteenth in the form of a prayer to Sita: O Mother Maithili! Even while the century philosopher, asserts that fold songs or their region or demonesses were harming you, while Sita had the power () to Sita's portrayal in different you saved them from the wrath of save herself, she deliberately let Hanuman. Because [of this act] versions of Ramayan for Rama’s actions seem trivial, for He possible inclusions in our 1 Sri gunaratnakosa, verse 50, quoted by only protected Vibhisana [Ravana’s forthcoming book on Sita. Desika in Rahasya Traya Sara, 1:126 brother] and the crow who had

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