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Post 5

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

We are continuing our discussions whether seethaa is powerful or has 
the capacity to burn or kill raavaNa on her own without waiting for 
raamaa. One more instance or fact comes to mind to prove her power. 
She controls the basic elements ? the pancha boothams ? using which 
brahma did create all living and non-living ones. Though seethaa is 
also born out of earth, she commands another pancha bootham, the 
fire, to change his basic nature of heat and turning everything to 
ashes. `Hey, leave out your basic character and be different as per 
my directions - be cool to my person ? hanumaan'. 

Later the very same fire had to bring her back and hand over to raama 
with a certificate of "she is a blemish-less character". The 
title `ordeal by fire' of sri sadagopan iyengar of coimbatore, 
perhaps, has to be changed here as `ordeal to fire', I think, for he 
has to obey on one hand to raavaNa, another to seethaa, and then to 
raama in providing that certificate duly attested by him. 

When seethaa was informed about hanumaan's tail has been lit with 
fire by tying lot of waste ropes and cloth, she approaches fire 
saying, `hey agni, be cool to hanuman'. That also with lot of preset 
conditions like "If I am -- ". See the slOkams

vaidhEhee sOkasanthapthaa huthaasanam upaagamath   | 5 ?53-26
meaning: seethaa, with a lot of sorrow, approached fire ? [means 
firegod]. 

upathasthE visaalaakshee prayathaa havyavaahanam | 
yadhyasthi pathi susrooshaa yadhyasthi charitham thapa: |
yadhi vaa thvEka pathneethvam seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5- 53- 27

meaning: That broad eyed seethaa requested the holy fire by 
saying, "if I have served my husband sincerely, I am true in my 
character, if my husband is a Eka pthnee vratha ? having one wife 
only -  and he has good intentions on me, then be cool to hanumaan.
 
yadhi kinchith anukRosasthasya mayyasthi dheematha: |
yadhi vaa bhaagya sEshO mE seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 ? 53 -28

meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that highly intelligent raama is a 
little compassionate on me and I have luck enough for unification 
with him [luck enough for me to join my husband]

yadhi maam vruththa sampannaam thath samaagama laalasaam |
savijaanaathi dharmaathmaa seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 ?53 - 29

meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that raama thinks me as full of good 
nature or character, and as one always seeking union with my husband.

yadhi maama thaarayEdhaarya: sugreeva: sathyasangara: |
asmaadh dhu:khaambusamrODhaath seethO bhava hanoomatha: || 5 ? 53 -30
  
meaning: be cool to hanumaan if that king sugreevan is truthful to 
his words of releasing me from this ocean of sorrow of separation 
from my husband.
 
Point: 1. Seethaa threw so many `if and buts' to that fire god. 
Perhaps he would have simply obeyed even if it were only one point. 
He could not think of any evasion since there were so many 
interlinked ones.
  
2. Further one argument can be advanced by some one who knows about 
raaVanan's capacities better  ? hey, this agni, vaayu, and rain, et 
al obey orders of raavaNa also and they serve him with equal or more 
obedience. Then how can you say seethaa is powerful to bring fire 
into obedience?  Agreed, accepted. But there is one basic difference. 

RaavaNa is able to command these pancha boothams to be `obedient' 
only ? hey vaayu ? be slow, be cool etc. That is all vaayu's nature ? 
sometimes to be hot, sometimes cool, sometimes fierce, some times 
very comfortable and soothing. Fire to burn slowly or fast as per 
command. Rain to be intermittent giving comfort and not causing a 
nuisance etc. But these pancha boothaas, basic elements, did not 
change their basic characteristics in their subservience to raavaNan. 
Rain did not become hot water or fire did not become cool.
 
But seethaa commands ? upaagamath says vaalmeeki ? meaning - 
approached ? is it a pleading for a concession ? NO ? an order to 
change the very basic characteristic. Fire's nature is hot and 
burning things to turn them as ash ? but here the request is - be 
cool - and he also did it obediently. So there is a lot of difference 
even in that obedience. Means his very natural characteristics 
changed at the behest of a more powerful personality than raavaNa ? 
seethaa. 

When she can command one of the pancha boothams viz. fire, to change 
his basic nature of burning everything or being unbearably hot and to 
be cool to one particular person, which he also obeys without 
hesitation, that itself shows who she is, and what power she has 
to `control' even the basic elements by changing their nature to 
something different. Then, will it be difficult for her to eliminate 
raavaNa on her own without waiting for raamaa?
 
Let us see one more point from Sree vachaNa bhooshaNam ? 80 - 
upaayathukku piraattyum ?dhroupadhiyaiyum ?thiruk kaNNa mangai 
aaNdaanaiyum pOlE irukka vENum. 
Meaning: For upaayam one should be like piraatti ? dhroupadi ? thriuk 
kaNNa mangai aaNdaan.
 
piraattikkum dhroupadhikkum vaasee sakthiyum asakthiyum  -81.
Meaning: The main difference between piraatti and dhroupadhi is 
their 'powers and helplessness'- `sakthiyum / asakthiyum'.
 
piraatti swa - sakthiyai vittaaL, dhroupadhi lajjaiyai vittaaL - 82

meaning: 'piraatti shed all Her powers, sakthi; while dhroupadhi shed 
all her shyness. Sri seethaa piraatti shed all her powers and waited 
for her lord sree raamaa. Thus though one may have powers oneself, it 
is the nature of jeevaathmaa to wait for the almighty to take action.

 The vyaakyanam by Sri MaNavaaLa maamunikaL clearly explains the 
following. 
'thathasya sathrusam bhavEth' enRirundha piraatti - She waited for 
Sri raamaa to demolish the enemies. What were Her powers? 'seethO 
bhava' i.e She had the powers to make fire like water and 
also 'thakdhO bhava' to reduce the enemies into ashes.
 
However, she did not use Her powers which is explained  'piraatti sva 
sakthiyai vittaaL'. This is illustrated from the inaction of seethaa 
piraatti. Piraatti was all-powerful. However, she preferred to be 
docile. Further, She is powerful on 2 counts.
1. She is an elevated soul - dheiva aNangu.
2. She is chastity personified ? kaRpukku arasi
Both the aforementioned factors make her powerful. Despite this she 
did not invoke her powers, as is the wont of jeevaathmaa. 
Thanks to sri vaanamaamalai padmanabhan swamy for the points from 
sree vachana bhooshaNam. 

Dear bhakthaas, by now, I think, the other two questions "is she also 
afraid to face Ravana? What are the reasons why she could not save 
herself and reach her Lord feet Shri Ramachandra?" are also answered, 
in that "thruNam" comments, and as above. As such I conclude this 
topic "is she capable or is she powerful" on the krishNa jayanthi 
day. Thanks for your patience and all comments / points against and 
for are welcome.

Dhaasan

Vasudevan m.g







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