Kuśa and Lava Named, Sītā Returns

This is the eighth chapter of the Janma Khaṇḍa in the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa. In it Kuśa and Lava sing the Janma Khaṇḍa before Bhagavān Rāma and the whole assembly, and Vālmīki names them as Rāma’s sons. Lakshmaṇa brings out the arm that Viśvakarmā made, and it dissolves. Sītā gives her oath, calls on Bhūdevī, and begins to go down into the earth. Rāma stops her, and Bhūdevī brings her back. The chapter ends with the end of the hundred Aśvamedha yajñas (fire rituals) and the return of the family to Ayodhyā.

Kuśa and Lava sing the Janma Khaṇḍa in the royal assembly

The arrows had bowed before Lava, which was a wonderful sign (see the account of Lava and the army of Ayodhyā). After this, Rāma sent a minister to Vālmīki’s āśrama (hermitage). Vālmīki came with Kuśa and Lava, and they were brought before the full royal assembly. All the kings, vānaras, rākshasas, devas and ṛshis who had gathered for the Aśvamedha were there.

Kuśa and Lava sang the Janma Khaṇḍa. This is the very khaṇḍa that tells of their own births, of Sītā’s life at the āśrama, and of the events that led to this moment. The assembly listened in silence and wept. Rāma heard the account of his own life, including his secret visit in the Pushpaka vimāna to see the newborn Kuśa.

When the singing ended, Vālmīki stood and spoke to the assembly: “These two boys are the sons of Bhagavān Rāma and Devī Sītā. Kuśa was born from Sītā’s womb. I myself made Lava from a blade of kuśa grass in a time of danger, by the power of tapas (austerity). Both are Rāma’s sons. Sītā, who lives in my āśrama, is wholly pure. She is purer than fire and purer than the sacred rivers. She was left, not because of any fault in her, but because Rāma, as king, had the duty of loka-maryādā (respecting the opinion of the people).”

The artificial arm of Viśvakarmā dissolves

Rāma accepted Vālmīki’s word. He turned to Lakshmaṇa and said, “You once brought me Sītā’s arm to show me. You kept it in a box (peṭikā). Bring it out now.”

Lakshmaṇa brought the sealed box and opened it before Sītā and the assembly. Viśvakarmā had made this arm years before. It was the same as Sītā’s real arm, and it still had flesh and blood in it. Five years had passed, yet it looked freshly made. The assembly was amazed, for no ordinary craft could have made it.

While everyone was looking at the arm, it dissolved from sight. Its work was done, and the sign of Viśvakarmā’s help was complete. The whole assembly was filled with wonder.

Rāma asks Sītā for a public oath

Rāma spoke to the assembly: “In Laṅkā, in the presence of all the devas, Sītā took an oath (śapatha), and I accepted her. Now let Sītā give the śapatha once more in this sabhā (assembly hall), so that the people gathered here may see it and be sure. When she is declared pure before all, I will accept her.” The kings, the vānaras and the devas waited eagerly.

Sītā stood before the assembly in fine silk, with her palms joined and her eyes lowered in humility. She spoke the tri-karaṇa śapatha, the oath of the three instruments, which are mind, speech and body: “If I have never thought of any other man in my mind, O Dhāraṇī Devī, O Earth Mother, give me a way into the earth.”

Bhūdevī’s throne rises and Sītā begins to go down

At the moment of the oath, a great wonder happened. A grand throne rose from the earth. Divine nāgas (serpents) carried it on their hooded heads, and it shone like the Sun. Bhūdevī herself appeared. With both hands she welcomed her daughter Jānakī and seated her on the divine throne. She honoured her with garments and fragrant offerings, embraced her, and fanned her with a cāmara (a fan of yak hair). Then the throne began to sink slowly back into the earth, carrying Sītā with it.

The devas and the people, in the sky and on the earth, rained flowers on Vaidehī without stopping. Every being, moving and unmoving, in the sky, on the earth and in the underworld, cried “sādhu, sādhu” (well done). The vānaras and the people stared in wonder. Some grew anxious, some fell into meditation, some watched Rāma, and some watched Sītā without blinking. As Sītā entered the earth, the whole world stood still for a moment.

Rāma speaks to Bhūdevī and she returns Sītā

When Rāma saw that Sītā was truly being taken into the earth, he rushed forward. With his left hand he touched Sītā, and with his own hands he held the hands of Bhūdevī. He prayed to her:

“O Bhūdevī! You are the highest home of all the worlds. You are the mother of all the worlds that rest on the great waters. You are puṇya (merit) itself, and you give gold to all beings. You feed the world with the herbs in your womb. You are Durgā. You are Sarasvatī. You are dear to me, who am Vishṇu. You are the ādiśakti (the first power) whom I myself made. You give all minerals to beings with love. You bear every good and bad deed with patience. Jānakī is your daughter, and I am your son-in-law. So give now the kanyādāna (the giving of a bride) that you have not given before. Be kind to me. If you are not, my anger will fall on you.”

Bhūdevī had the firmness that comes naturally to a woman (strī-svabhāva-kāṭhinyamu). She did not listen even to Rāma’s prayer, and she kept going down. Rāma’s eyes turned red with anger. He called for his bow, and Lakshmaṇa brought the kodaṇḍa. Rāma strung it and set an arrow to it. The earth shook, stars fell, the oceans were stirred, and the directions filled with dust.

Then the earth cried out, “Trāhi! Trāhi!” (Save me! Save me!). She trembled again and again. With her own hands she brought Jānakī back and seated her on Rāma’s lap. Then Bhūdevī put her head at Rāma’s feet and bowed to him.

Divine instruments sounded in the sky. All the devas rained flowers and anointed Sītā and Rāma. Rāma saw Bhūdevī bowing at his feet, and he put his anger aside. He let go of the bow and arrow and lifted Bhūdevī up with his own hands. Bhūdevī bowed to Rāma again and again. She honoured Sītā, and Sītā honoured her in return. She gave Sītā a jewelled throne and then vanished in an instant.

All the people saw Sītā restored and rejoiced as if she had been born again. Cries of jaya (victory) rose everywhere, and Rāma gave gifts of many kinds.

The Sītā-kuṇḍa tīrtha

On the south bank of the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā), at the place where Sītā gave her oath and began to go down, a great and holy tīrtha (pilgrimage place) came into being. Sītā went down into the earth and came back up. During that deep moment of grief and resolve she breathed hot sighs. These rose from Pātāla (the underworld) through the surface of the earth as warm, pure water. This holy spring is as warm as fire even today. It is called Sītā-kuṇḍa.

Meditating on Jānakī Kuṇḍa takes away fear. Women keep the observance of Sītā-kuṇḍa at all times for the long life (āyus) of their husbands.

The Aśvamedha is completed and Sītā is brought home

After Sītā came back, Rāma performed the avabṛtha snāna (the closing bath) of the hundred Aśvamedha yajñas with Sītā and his sons. He did it with great joy and exactly by the rules. He performed the jātakarma (birth rite) for Lava. He honoured the devas. He gave gifts to all the ṛtviks (priests), ṛshis and kings who had gathered, and he sent the invited brāhmaṇas and kings home with fitting gifts and great honour.

Then Rāma went back to Ayodhyā with Sītā, his sons and his brothers, riding on an elephant. The women of the city honoured him with nīrājana (the waving of lamps). The people of Ayodhyā had not seen Sītā for a long time, and they celebrated with great festivals. Rāma honoured Janaka and Sumedhā and sent them to their own city.

How long Rāma ruled

The Janma Khaṇḍa ends with three accounts of how long Rāma ruled after this reunion.

• In one account, Rāma ruled with Sītā for thirteen thousand years in a single kalpa (age of the world).
• In another account, he ruled for eleven thousand, eleven hundred and eleven years, eleven months and eleven days.
• In a third account, he ruled for eleven thousand years and eleven days over the seven dvīpas (continents).

Sources

• Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Janma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 8