RAMANAVAMI TODAY;
THE TRAGEDY OF SEETA AND AHALYA;
In Kamban’s version, Viswamitra arrives at the walls of Mithila with the young Rama, after their adventure with Tadaka, the rakshasi. The dust of Rama’s feet settles on the black rock that was once Ahalya who, brought back to life, falls at Rama’s feet and worships him. After this has happened, Viswamitra tells the back story of the curse that turned her into stone. God Indra, having fallen in love with the beautiful Ahalya, wife of Gotaman the sage, sneaks into the hermitage in Gotaman’s absence, disguised as him, and sleeps with Ahalya. However, Gotaman returns, and curses both Indra, who is instantly covered in a thousand vagina's, and Ahalya who turns into stone. Just before Ahalya is petrified into stone, in answer to her plea that he should set a limit to the curse, he declares that the dust of Rama’s feet will one day set her free. The immortals, meanwhile, plead on behalf of Indra, and Gotaman changes the marks all over him into a thousand eyes.
.
Clearly, one of the major changes we notice in Kamban’s retelling, when compared with Valmiki is the content of Gotaman’s curse. In Valmiki Ahalya is condemned to eat no food but air, and to lie on burning ashes, invisible to all men. In Kamban she is turned into stone, and the possibility of her deliverance from his curse is conceded by Gotaman after her desperate plea.
Leaving aside different versions,it is beyond any logic or comprehension that if Ahalya could be purified by mere touch of Rama's feet,why Seeta could not attain that purity status by the constant touch of her husband Rama.It will be pertinent to mention here that,with the death of Ravana,there was an end to the sorrows of Rama and there should have been an end to the sorrows of Seeta as well.Rama,against all evidence,suspected the chastity of his wife during the captivity and banished her after having made her pregnant.Ultimately Seeta put an end to her sorrows by burying herself alive.Seeta is the personification of man's injustice to women in this country through ages.
THE TRAGEDY OF SEETA AND AHALYA;
In Kamban’s version, Viswamitra arrives at the walls of Mithila with the young Rama, after their adventure with Tadaka, the rakshasi. The dust of Rama’s feet settles on the black rock that was once Ahalya who, brought back to life, falls at Rama’s feet and worships him. After this has happened, Viswamitra tells the back story of the curse that turned her into stone. God Indra, having fallen in love with the beautiful Ahalya, wife of Gotaman the sage, sneaks into the hermitage in Gotaman’s absence, disguised as him, and sleeps with Ahalya. However, Gotaman returns, and curses both Indra, who is instantly covered in a thousand vagina's, and Ahalya who turns into stone. Just before Ahalya is petrified into stone, in answer to her plea that he should set a limit to the curse, he declares that the dust of Rama’s feet will one day set her free. The immortals, meanwhile, plead on behalf of Indra, and Gotaman changes the marks all over him into a thousand eyes.
.
Clearly, one of the major changes we notice in Kamban’s retelling, when compared with Valmiki is the content of Gotaman’s curse. In Valmiki Ahalya is condemned to eat no food but air, and to lie on burning ashes, invisible to all men. In Kamban she is turned into stone, and the possibility of her deliverance from his curse is conceded by Gotaman after her desperate plea.
Leaving aside different versions,it is beyond any logic or comprehension that if Ahalya could be purified by mere touch of Rama's feet,why Seeta could not attain that purity status by the constant touch of her husband Rama.It will be pertinent to mention here that,with the death of Ravana,there was an end to the sorrows of Rama and there should have been an end to the sorrows of Seeta as well.Rama,against all evidence,suspected the chastity of his wife during the captivity and banished her after having made her pregnant.Ultimately Seeta put an end to her sorrows by burying herself alive.Seeta is the personification of man's injustice to women in this country through ages.
No comments:
Post a Comment