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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYA
to Larkāpuri by Ravana. Hanumat requests Sitā to accompany him to Kişkindhipura on his shoulders (āruhasu majjha khandhe 53.60) but Sita declines to touch any other person's body (53.61a). She confides the following episodes of her life to Hanumat so that the latter should refer to these in his conversation with Rāma and make him believe that he actually met Sita: (i) homage paid by them to the Căranamunis, (ii) subduing the wild elephant by Rāma in the Padmasara?, (iii) embracing Candanalata by Rāma, (iv) sportively beating of Sita by Rama with the stalk of a lotus, (v) explaining of the Nandidrumas to her by Rāma, (vi) hospitality extended by them to the sages on the bank of the Karṇaravă and on the same occasion obtaining of the Cudāmaņi” at the time of the supernatural occurrings. After narrating these episodes she gives her braid-jewel to Hanumat and advises him to depart before Rāvana puts any impediment (53.63-72) before him.
In the VR there is a reference to the weakness of Sita on account of her observing fast 'Upavāsa' (VR, 5.15.19) but there is no reference to the request by Hanumat to take food. Here Hanumat requests Sitā to take her on his backfupāroha mama prstham 5.37.31) but Sītā refuses on the same ground (5.37.62). She is further said to have told that she would not be able to withstand the speed of Hanumat and she might fall in the sea or she might be put to further difficulties on being chased by the Rakşasas. Further for her genuineness Sītā confides some episodes to Hanumat to be conveyed to Rāma and also hands over her 'Cūdāmaņi' (5.38.66). Here the private incidents referred to differ from those of the PCV. They are, viz. the kāka vịttānta (5.38, 5.40,4), and the application of the manaḥśīlā-tilaka on her cheeks by Rama (5.40.5).
According to the TR, Hanumat expresses his inability to take her to Rama without Rāma's commission to that effect (5. 16). Hanumat again meets Sītā after burning the city of Laikā and receives her braid-jewel. She for the confidence of Rāma narrates the "Sakrasutakatha' (5. 277) i. e. the kāka-vșttanta to Hanumat.
1. Sahinnanesu puno, imesu vayanesu visāttho 53.64. 2. Bhavabhūti's Uttararūmacarita (Anka.3) refers to Sita's alarm when an elephant
who was nurtured by her, is attacked by an agitated elephant in the river. She requests Rāma to save the elephant in trouble. This episode has some
basic similarity with that of the PCV. 3. The text does not refer to the Cūdāmaņi on that occasion. It was given by
Yakşa Potana when they started from Rāmapuri (See Sec. 4C). 4. In the Adhyatma Ramayana the request is made to climb his shoulders (me
skandha-māroha 5.5.6) as in the PCV. In the Ananda Rāmāyaṇa also (1.9.277).
