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476
JAIN RAMAYAN
ance. Every creature there seemed to be sympathising with Shri Ram. But at the same time there was no one who could remove Shri Ram's sorrow.
Shri Ram himself, such a great man had to experience anguish. He was the noblest man of the time. He was a man of extraordinary merit. Even he had to experience anguish. He was thousands of miles away from Ayodhya. The Dandakaranya was a far cry from Ayodhya. Dandakaranya was Ayodhya for Shri Ram. But Ravan ruined the splendour of Ayodhya. Shri Ram was surrounded by dark, dense clouds of despair.
Sorrow is a part and parcel of life. In this world, no one is free from sorrow. Of course Kevaljnanis attain Moksha and live an absolutely happy life but the path of salvation is not an easy one. It is arduous, uneven and hard.
A sudden thought arose in Shri Ram's mind which shook him to the brims of his being. "The abductor might try to force Sita but she will not yield to him as long as there is life in her but she may end her life to safeguard her chastity.” Shri Ram's mind was paralysed by this thought. He again fell down unconscious.
Shri Ram regained consciousness when cool breezes blew over him and when birds brought water with their beaks and sprinkled it on his face but he began weeping like a child. Even the trees, plants and creepers began to weep moved by his misery. Even the stones of the cave shed tears.
It was a day of grief and anguish in Shri Ram's life. No poet however gifted he might be, can fully describe Shri Ram's anguish and agony.
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