Sita Vallabha-ma

Compilation of Divine Discourses

Raghukula

King Raghu was a fine and able administrator and that is why his name came to be chosen for the entire dynasty.

Baba has Himself written in the Rama Katha Rasa Vahini about the sterling qualities of King Raghu. Baba says, “Though young, Emperor Raghu was rich in virtue. However tough a problem happened to be, he grasped it quickly and discovered the means of solving it. He made his subjects happy and contented. He won over wicked kings by peaceful approaches and clever diplomatic tactics, or by fielding a little army in order to win them over, or openly breaking with them and defeating them on the field of battle.”

Seetha

Mother Seetha represents nature and that Lord Rama is the eternal divine consciousness from which emerged nature.Nature in all its pristine glory and its bounty is as much a part of the divine as we human beings are. Can we imagine leading life without nature? No. Nature is selfless and gives us so much without expecting anything in return.
Therefore, we must do our best to protect nature and not exploit it for benefit. In fact, the various natural calamities that strike suddenly across the world are just nature’s way of warning us that we should not misuse her various gifts for our personal advantage. When a perfect balance is maintained in ecology, seldom would we encounter nature’s fury.

Sita Vallabha

To show that Bhagawan Baba is verily Lord Rama who is the beloved master of Mother Sita, who represents Mother Nature, here is a telling incident.

Madurantakam is a small town about 70 kilometres to the south of Chennai. There is a rich legend associated with this place. It is said that Lord Rama Himself came here, during His search for Sita. There is a big tank in the neighbourhood, and Rama is supposed to have had a bath here during his visit. In later years, a temple for Rama was also built. Sometime in 1795, there was a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, which led to heavy rain in and around Madurantakam. The then Collector Colonel Price was alerted that the lake was full and that there was imminent danger, which could result in severe damage to surrounding properties. Col. Price headed for Madurantakam, inspected the lake, ordered for the breach to be plugged and then decided to visit the Rama temple. When he entered, he found the temple in a dilapidated condition and as he looked around, he saw some bricks heaped in a corner. When he enquired, the temple priest told him the bricks were meant for constructing a temple for Mother Sita, but that the construction could not be carried out because of lack of funds. Since the huge tank regularly breached during cyclones, it led to severe loss for the people of the region and so they could not raise funds. Col. Price then asked, “How come your Rama is not coming to your rescue? Why does He not protect the tank, allowing you to build the temple for His Consort?” The temple authorities were deeply hurt and replied, “Next time there is an emergency, you will definitely see Lord Rama coming to our rescue.” Shortly after that, there was a heavy downpour and this time the situation was really serious. Col. Price again rushed to Madurantakam and found a ferocious storm raging and the fury of nature stunned him. He felt that God alone was his refuge now. As he was thinking thus, he noticed a big crowd of villagers taking shelter in the temple and an elderly man talking nonstop about Lord Rama, His Glory and His Power. Although he was a Christian, at that moment Col. Price silently prayed, “O Lord Rama, they say You are great. In that case, please save us all. If You respond to my prayers, I shall build a temple for Your Consort.” The moment Col. Price concluded his prayer, there was a flash of lightning, and he had a vision of Rama and Lakshmana smiling! He simply exclaimed, “Look there!” and fainted. When he regained consciousness, Col. Price found himself in a comfortable bed in his own quarters. He felt relieved to hear that the rains had stopped miraculously and that the water level in the lake was at a safe level. Col. Price felt most grateful to the Lord who had come to his rescue in such a dramatic manner.

Not only Col. Price but also the people of Madurantakam realised that it was Lord Rama who had come to their rescue. Thus, even today, the temple deity is hailed not just as Rama but as Rama who protected the tank. This wonderful incident reveals that the Lord is truly the one who is the beloved Master of Nature, does it not? Hence, it is apt that we hail him as ‘Seetha Vallabha’. In this context, Seetha represents nature.