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The Flames of Jealousy
275
“My dear lord! My mind is greatly shaken by fear and anxiety.”
“Dear Sita! Now you go to your palace and worship the Paramatma with devotion. Meditate upon the lord. Carry out sublime contemplations. Give gifts to the deserving. Give food and clothes to the needy and the destitute. At a time of calamity, Dharma is the only refuge. Only Dharma can provide protection to human beings."
Accordingly, Sita proceeded to her palace in her chariot accompanied by her attendants. Restraining her fears and anxieties, she worshipped the Paramatma with absolute devotion. She gave gifts of money and clothes to the needy and the indigent. She thought of the evil that might befall her and decided to counter its effects by means of spiritual austerities. There was no indication of the possibility of the occurrence of any calamity yet.
Shridhama and Ratinibha were secretly observing the behaviour of Shri Ram and Sita to see if their attachment continued as before or if there was any change in Shri Ram's attitude towards Sita. But when they heard that Shri Ram had set off with Sita joyfully to take part in the spring festival, they shocked and disappointed. Anger flamed out through their eyes. They became furious; stamped the ground with their feet and felt greatly and bitterly disappointed. They two again had a secret discussion. Both were equally unhappy and agitated. Both were furious.
"Look! Our lord, has taken with him only Sita to enjoy the delights of the spring festival. They will enjoy sensual delights to their fill. I am sure that our lord's infatuation for Sita can never abate. He cannot live even for a moment without Sita:”
"Shridhama! What you say is true. We have to adopt some other plan to prejudice his mind against Sita. Our lord does not believe our words. He thinks that we are liars and hypocrites.”
"I am ready to co-operate with you in anything that you propose to do."
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