Page 33 - History of Tirupathi Balaji and comparison of Sri Vaishnava

Ravana tries to seduce Vedavati

Ravana had received a curse earlier in his life by which he could not defi le
a woman forcibly. If he did, he would immediately die due to the curse of a
Brahmin. Ravana’s only recourse was to convince women to surrender to his
will. He tried every means possible to entice the Maya Sita. He offered her gifts
of opulent clothes, jewelry, promises of heavenly pleasures, cosmic travel in his
super airplane, the “Pushpaka”, and anything else she desired if she surrendered
to him voluntarily. Maya Sita did not waver. She remained staunch in her
faithfulness to Lord Rama and categorically refused all of Ravana’s overtures.
Finally, Ravana threatened to kill her and eat her fl esh.
Maya Sita’s unfl inching faith and perseverance

Maya Sita in her mood of Mother Sita maintained her unfaltering faithfulness
to her husband, Lord Rama. She rejected all of Ravana’s alluring promises of
material pleasures. The Bhagavad-gita teaches, All acts of sacrifi ce, charity and
penance should be performed without attachment or any expectation of result. They should be
performed as a matter of duty, Arjuna. That is My fi nal opinion. (Bg 18.6) In the purport
to this verse, Bhaktivedanta Swami writes, Although all sacrifi ces are purifying, one
should not expect any result by such performances. In other words, all sacrifi ces which are
meant for material advancement in life should be given up, but sacrifi ces that purify one’s
existence and elevate one to the spiritual plane should not be stopped. Everything that leads
to Krishna consciousness must be encouraged. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also it is said
that any activity which leads to devotional service to the Lord should be accepted. That is the
highest criterion of religion. A devotee of the Lord should accept any kind of work, sacrifi ce
or charity which will help him in the discharge of devotional service to the Lord. Maya Sita
took the place of Sita and endured all sorts of torments in the association of
Ravana and his hideous Raksasa servants.
Vedavati as the Maya Sita remained fi xed in her desire to obtain the eternal
company of Lord Vishnu. She was undeterred in her resolve to achieve her
goal of living always with the Lord. Such unalloyed love is described by Lord
Caitanya in His prayer called Siksastakam, I know no one but Krishna as my
Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes
me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and
everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally. (Siksastakam prayer
#8) Unconditional love does not ask for anything in return for services rendered.
By this intense love for God and faithfulness to the vows of spiritual life such an
initiation by a bona fi de guru and the vow of sacred marriage, a woman develops
mystical powers as exhibited by Vedavati. Whatever she wills to happen in the
service of the Lord will become a reality.
Maya Sita liberated by Lord Rama and later replaced by the real Sita

Eventually Maya Sita was liberated by Lord Rama. Her curse on Ravana
was fulfi lled. Ravana and his entire dynasty of Raksasas were destroyed. Maya
Sita was brought back to Ramesvaram by Lord Rama who expressed a doubt
about her chastity while in the captivity of Ravana. She insisted on beiong
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