| Chapter 21 : Putra-Pautri Sukhaya Yagnya | ||
Instructions: Light the Yagnya (holy fire),. Offer in it dry leaves, small wooden pieces, camphor, butter or other items as per your wish. Repeat this holy mantra (chant), often referred to as the Gayatri Mantra, followed by prayer for blessings to the children. All the while keep making offerings into the Yagnya ,at short intervals of time.. ) RAMA and SITA: OM ! Bhurhbhuvah Swaha Tatsaviturvarenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayaat Oh! God, You are our creator and succour We live by your grace, You are the remover of sorrow, Your effulgence pours into every nook and corner. Every bit of creation, is a manifestation of Your presence. As we meditate on You, Oh! Lord, We pray for your benevolence Bless our intellect so that We walk an enlightened path. And Oh! Lord , Bless our children : May they have wisdom, May they do good deeds, May they follow the right path, May they have good thoughts, May they have good friends, May they have long life, May they be truthful, May they do righteous enterprise Oh! Lord , bless our children with all this for peace and happiness. After the above Yagnya, Rama goes to His sleeping children and kisses them lovingly on the forehead .He leaves Tulsi (sacred basil) leaves in their tender palms. Just then, Sita comes out of her reverie and realises that the astral form of Rama has vanished into thin air, and that actually she is all alone in the hermitage .The only thing around in the hermitage is the eerie light and shade created by the tongues of flames from the Yagnya fire, while her children are fast asleep. SITA now feels cheated by her husband Rama . || The Pain of Separation || SITA: “Lord has forgotten me!” The love-lorn devotee says, “I shall never see Him again,” Yet she rushes back and prays. God is an ocean of love, Yet He too pines for affection And when the devotee gives whole-hearted love, To the poor and forsaken, The pain of separation from the Lord is healed, For, then, the Lord Himself feels loved. SITA sleeps fitfully that night . Early morning she wakes up with a fright ,when her children shake her vigorously out of sleep and say: Lav and Kush : “Mother! Mother! Some miracle seems to have happened today. In our sleep , we both heard the Gayatri Mantra and other holy chants. And Mother, look what we found in our palms when we woke up this morning !” SITA’s heart starts beating wildly, for, in the tender palms of both Lav and Kush , are the Tulsi leaves that their father Lord Rama had left the previous night after the Yagnya. |
