Today April 8 2014 is Shriram Navami
I don't know much about Urmila, Laxman's wife in Ramayana.
But generally, I had heard some good things about her.
The following wonderful song in Marathi, for instance, written by Raja Mangalvedhekar ( राजा मंगळवेढेकर), composed by Prabhakar Jog ( प्रभाकर जोग), sung by Ram Phatak (राम फाटक) praises her.
You may listen to it here.
"उर्मिले, त्रिवार वंदन तुला !
त्यजुनि राजसुख जरी जानकी
वनात गेली प्रभु-सांगाती
राजमंदिरी तूच साहिल्या वियोगातल्या कळा !
सतत साउलीसम रामाला
भ्राता लक्ष्मण कृतार्थ झाला
तुझ्या मनातिल मुक्या भावना, कधी न तो उमगला !
अंधारातिल तू ज्योतीसम
आयु वेचिले अपुले कण कण
सुख-तृप्तीचा कधि न तुला गे वाराही लाभला !
राम-जानकी वियोगातुनी
घडले रामायण हे भुवनी
तुझी तपस्या, तुझा त्याग परि नच लोकी ठसला !
थोरचरित तू, दूर राहुनी
सुगंध भरला तू रामायणि
उपेक्षाच परि तुझ्या कपाळी न्याय जगी आगळा !"
Imagine my shock when I saw the following picture.
"Indian Mythology has it's very own Sleeping Beauty!"
Art by Saboo Achu,
courtesy: The Amar Chitra Katha Studio page on FB
Apart from the fact that she doesn't look all that beautiful, Urmila slept for 14 years!
She took all the sleep of Lakshmana so that he could remain awake and ever attentive to Rama and Sita’s needs. Even if that is so, she should have been awake for at least 8 hours of the day.
The song says:
"तुझ्या मनातिल मुक्या भावना, कधी न तो उमगला !"
(He never understood your unspoken feelings)...How couldn't he have? He surely would have asked why she slept for that long...Was she feeling that unwell?
The song further says:
"अंधारातिल तू ज्योतीसम
आयु वेचिले अपुले कण कण
सुख-तृप्तीचा कधि न तुला गे वाराही लाभला !"
(You pecked flame-like bright spots of your life in darkness...you never enjoyed breeze of bliss...)
Sure if you sleep for 14 years, it's all darkness around you.
तुझी तपस्या, तुझा त्याग परि नच लोकी ठसला !
(Your penance, your sacrifice did not register on collective memory of the people.)
How can it if you disappear, for 14 years, from people's sight?
I don't know much about Urmila, Laxman's wife in Ramayana.
But generally, I had heard some good things about her.
The following wonderful song in Marathi, for instance, written by Raja Mangalvedhekar ( राजा मंगळवेढेकर), composed by Prabhakar Jog ( प्रभाकर जोग), sung by Ram Phatak (राम फाटक) praises her.
You may listen to it here.
"उर्मिले, त्रिवार वंदन तुला !
त्यजुनि राजसुख जरी जानकी
वनात गेली प्रभु-सांगाती
राजमंदिरी तूच साहिल्या वियोगातल्या कळा !
सतत साउलीसम रामाला
भ्राता लक्ष्मण कृतार्थ झाला
तुझ्या मनातिल मुक्या भावना, कधी न तो उमगला !
अंधारातिल तू ज्योतीसम
आयु वेचिले अपुले कण कण
सुख-तृप्तीचा कधि न तुला गे वाराही लाभला !
राम-जानकी वियोगातुनी
घडले रामायण हे भुवनी
तुझी तपस्या, तुझा त्याग परि नच लोकी ठसला !
थोरचरित तू, दूर राहुनी
सुगंध भरला तू रामायणि
उपेक्षाच परि तुझ्या कपाळी न्याय जगी आगळा !"
Imagine my shock when I saw the following picture.
"Indian Mythology has it's very own Sleeping Beauty!"
Art by Saboo Achu,
courtesy: The Amar Chitra Katha Studio page on FB
Apart from the fact that she doesn't look all that beautiful, Urmila slept for 14 years!
She took all the sleep of Lakshmana so that he could remain awake and ever attentive to Rama and Sita’s needs. Even if that is so, she should have been awake for at least 8 hours of the day.
The song says:
"तुझ्या मनातिल मुक्या भावना, कधी न तो उमगला !"
(He never understood your unspoken feelings)...How couldn't he have? He surely would have asked why she slept for that long...Was she feeling that unwell?
The song further says:
"अंधारातिल तू ज्योतीसम
आयु वेचिले अपुले कण कण
सुख-तृप्तीचा कधि न तुला गे वाराही लाभला !"
(You pecked flame-like bright spots of your life in darkness...you never enjoyed breeze of bliss...)
Sure if you sleep for 14 years, it's all darkness around you.
तुझी तपस्या, तुझा त्याग परि नच लोकी ठसला !
(Your penance, your sacrifice did not register on collective memory of the people.)
How can it if you disappear, for 14 years, from people's sight?