Ramayana



EPISODE - 5

Life becomes a celebration for Janak and Sunaina as also for the inhabitants of Mithila when Janak brings home a lovely baby girl he has found miraculously in the earth when he was ploughing the barren and arid fields. For days there has been no rain and the infant appears like a miracle in the parched earth.

Janak names her Sita in tribute to the earth (seet) she lay hidden in. She is the miracle child for Mithila. Suddenly there is rain and vegetation appears in the dry fields, rivers begin to fill up. Streams start gurgling, leaves appear on dried up branches of trees, the scent of blossoms fill the air. There is happiness and security everywhere as the people of Mithila celebrate the arrival of the girl child, Sita, in the palace of Janak Raja, ushering in prosperity and plenty.

Sita is everybodys darling. Her favorite haunt is the temple of Vishnu. Every day she strings flowers of all hues to make a garland for the idol of Vishnu. Then she does aarti, singing mellifluously in her little voice. The Shiv Dhanush which is kept in the temple fascinates her.

In Ayodhya the boys are growing up fast. Manthra does everything for Bharat and she offers everything first to Bharat. But Bharat wont accept it till she has offered it to Ram and his twin brothers first. When Rishi Yagyawalk visits Janak he learns from Janak that three more girls are born. Janaks brother has been blessed with three daughters, but where is Sita? he asks smilingly. Well, Sita is in the temple worshipping her idol, Maha Vishnu.

In Ayodhya, guru Vashisht tells Dashrath it is time to send his sons to the Gurukul. All princes have to go to gurukul to receive gyan, training in Martial Arts and gain proficiency in fine Arts.

Dashrath and the queens are sad on hearing this. How can they stay away from their dear sons? Vashisht tells Dashrath and the queens that they must bear the sorrow of parting from their sons because they will never be able to gain knowledge in the palace as they have umpteen distractions in the palace. They have to be properly educated in order to be good rulers. They have to be readied in seven days to leave for the gurukul.

The queens are in tears, but they understand the need to send their sons to receive education and refinement, so essential for them to be ideal rulers.

The princes leave for gurukul leaving behind their tearful but will-wishing parent.