6. Symbolic Importance of Grass Blade in Sundarakanda (Category:- Philosophical)

Background:-

In Sundarakanda of Ramayana we find that mother Goddess Sita used to keep a Grass Blade in between her and Ravana whenever the latter used to visit her in Ashoka Vatika. Why should mother Sita keep a grass blade in between her and Ravana? What's the significance of it? What did mother Sita want to convey? Everyone of us has read Ramayana but did we ever given a thought on the philosophy behind that? Did the above questions ever strike our mind? Probably Not!! Mother Sita was a great teacher (Guru). She had preached a moral with mute actions and through a small blade of grass. Let's understand the symbolic and philosophical meaning behind that single blade of grass!!

1. When there is moisture beneath the grass surface, grass remains green and firm to the ground. Neither sun nor heat, nor spark of fire harms it. Even a heavy storm can uproot a banyan tree but can't uproot a grass blade in any way. On the other hand, when there is no moisture beneath the grass surface, it becomes dry and easily gets burnt with the heat of scorching sun or small spark of fire and also gets carried away by normal breeze and loses its identity and slowly fades away from this world. Here moisture represents moral values, good conduct, heritage, culture, respect, devotion, fidelity, deportment and all such satva gunas. Moisture-less barren field represents a jad buddhi, arrogance, lust, greed, inclination towards nishiddha karmas etc all negative qualities which are marked as bad by vedas, upanishads etc. jaganmata lakshmi (Sita) might also want to teach a lesson to Ravan that with all his good qualities what he had (greatest musician, greatest astrologer, greatest Shiv Bhakt, greatest Singer, great tapasvi, great ruler etc.) he could have become a GREAT Saint and would have fetched Salvation had he utilized all his inborn good qualities in the right way. But since he had done the biggest sin of eyeing on a para stree, all his good qualities have left him and he has become a barren land where his soul stands like a brown grass (hay), and is definitely subject to getting uprooted/burnt/losing identity and vanishing into the darkness of the time.

I personally feel that Ravana had lot many greatest qualities but failed to become a Great man!! He was a great scholar but what's the use of knowledge if someone doesn't have that chivalry to respect para stree and also naaree in general (He had ravished Rambha also...So lust was in his habit perhaps).

Had he won over his senses, he had a great potential to become a saint. He could have won the motherly love of goddess Lakshmi (Sita) by showing his respect for women and behaving like a child of her.