While the study by VVS Aiyar races through the synopsis, as a true rambler, I am not in such a hurry! I try to react to comments. In fact, look forward to dialogues!
The contentious ones are whether Rama and Sita ate meat. Did Ravana actually touch Sita when he abducted her?
Mouli reacted strongly; Did not know that Rama, Sita and Laxmana ATE MEAT; Hogs ? Crocodiles ? Thought they were living Saatvik Lives !!
Raghu thought it was possible; Obviously non-vegetarianism was the norm. even for brahmins. and believed that The local inhibitions would have coloured the mode of capture. The VR version is in tune with the pratice in north India where abduction is common even now. The kambar version shows greater respect to women...
VR does not directly say so, but we can safely assume that there was no taboo, the type we now see in an orthodox south Indian brahmin family! The other topic, whether Ravana actually touched Sita or not, is quite serious. Being touched, even ever so slightly, by a strange man was not and is not taken lightly. Bangalore was quite serious about this segregation when I was young. There were seperate seats for women in buses and movie theatres, we had men standing on the right side of the God's image in a temple and the women on the left. I do not see this segregation today in Benagluru, but I guess it persists in smaller towns.
Mouli also reacted to Ravana's attempt to impress Sita with his open admiration of her physical attributes. It could be for a little fun, but he said we wouln't dare to adopt Ravana's crude style even on our honeymoon! But again we belong to a different generation!
His views about how Sita was carried away:
VR does not directly say so, but we can safely assume that there was no taboo, the type we now see in an orthodox south Indian brahmin family! The other topic, whether Ravana actually touched Sita or not, is quite serious. Being touched, even ever so slightly, by a strange man was not and is not taken lightly. Bangalore was quite serious about this segregation when I was young. There were seperate seats for women in buses and movie theatres, we had men standing on the right side of the God's image in a temple and the women on the left. I do not see this segregation today in Benagluru, but I guess it persists in smaller towns.
Mouli also reacted to Ravana's attempt to impress Sita with his open admiration of her physical attributes. It could be for a little fun, but he said we wouln't dare to adopt Ravana's crude style even on our honeymoon! But again we belong to a different generation!
His views about how Sita was carried away:
Finally, Sita was physically captured because she STEPPED OUT OF " Laksmana Rekha "- says Valmiki.. LR is now a famous phrase used in India by Parliamentarians, Supreme Court , CAG,etc etc.
KAMBAR IS probabaly correct when he says Ravana cut the entire cottage out of the ground LR included, and flew off; so LR remained where it was; as the entire cottage was replanted in Asoka Vana in SriLanka ! Raavana never did a thing to Sita while she sat around in in his garden !! LR again !! Mouli
In this version of VR, claimed to be the original edition, there is no mention of Lakshman Rekha. However, there are hosts of stories to pacify the minds of the people who would be totally destroyed if they were told that Ravana had touched Sita!
Here are some ingenious ones I saw in the commentary on VR:
KAMBAR IS probabaly correct when he says Ravana cut the entire cottage out of the ground LR included, and flew off; so LR remained where it was; as the entire cottage was replanted in Asoka Vana in SriLanka ! Raavana never did a thing to Sita while she sat around in in his garden !! LR again !! Mouli
In this version of VR, claimed to be the original edition, there is no mention of Lakshman Rekha. However, there are hosts of stories to pacify the minds of the people who would be totally destroyed if they were told that Ravana had touched Sita!
Here are some ingenious ones I saw in the commentary on VR:
Whether Seetha is touched by Ravana or not - is a much debated issue by ancient commentators.
Ravana has a curse; his head/heads will be splintered, if he lustfully touches a woman against her will. But 'Ravana being an expert in all branches of sciences, caught Janaki by the shadow of her head-hair and the shadow of thighs...' Maheshvara Tiirtha.
... lakshmaNa rekha 'Lakshmana's drawing a line around the hermitage, .. When Seetha came out of it to offer alms to Ravana, she in her fear fell down on ground, then [Ravana] cleaved the earth with his nails, uplifting that clod with his hands and with a balancing act put it in the air-chariot, and quickly went away in skyway...'
Another anthology says that Rama while going after the Golden Deer, hid the real Seetha and placed an illusory Seetha... in the cottage. This deceptive Seetha is continued until her self-immolation after Great War. Real Seetha emerged out of the pyre instead of this Maya Seetha. ....
These modifications of an incident, perhaps mollified, relieved the die-hard traditionalists of their time!
These modifications of an incident, perhaps mollified, relieved the die-hard traditionalists of their time!
Then I see this comment from Amruta, a poet, on my blog. While it is nice to have a young generation view, I hope it will not create a riot situation. The guardians of our heritage are always on the look out!
'You have mentioned that women in Ravana's harem were in love with him. Women have, I think always admired and have been attracted to males who come across as physically strong and may be in some way also are attracted to men with quirks...Quirks that add an interesting dimension to the personality of the man.
I think Sita actually was attracted to Ravana for may be even for a fraction of a second and justified her actions of letting him in because he was a sadhu...
I think this still more complex. The writ of sadhus when they visit house holds is alluded to in different places. One wonders if it included sexual gratification as a a part of átithya'! Is that the reason why women didn't hesitate to interact with venerated brahmins.
Of course in Mahabharata we came across instances of such intimacy aimed at securing appropriate progeny.The Nair customs are a persistence of these practices.
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