After a long wait radiant Raghava came to Mithila along with Sage Vishvamithra. He came to see the yajna my fatherwas performing. His brother Lakshmana was with him. My father welcomed the three with great honour befitting his and their status. Sage Vishvamithra introduced Sri Rama and Lakshamana to my father. While doing so, the sage said,"King Janaka, these two princes are the sons of King Dashratha. They would like to see the divine bow you have set as a bet to princes who would like to win Sita's hand. Please show the divine bow to them.
On being asked by the sage, King Janaka ordered his soldiers to bring the great bow. When it was brought to the placewhere they were standing the king narrated the way he came to posses the bow. Long and strong armed Sri Rama had a close look at the bow and then in a trice, he lifted it, fixed an arrow to it.While he was doing so, the great bow broke into two producing a thunderous sound. Everyone around heard the defeating noice in utter disbelief.
As soon as my father saw Sri Rama broke the bow, he came forward to give me in marriage to him. Sri Rama asked my father to wait for sometime and in the meantime he wanted to get his father's approval.Then he sent the news to Ayodhya and Dashratha went to Mithila with his royal entourage getting Dashratha's consent my father gave me in marriage to Sri Ramachandra, who it is believed has understood his inner self and hence omniscient.Then my sister, the most beautiful Urmila was given in marriage to Lakshamana,and my other two sisters to Bharatha and Shathrughana. Mother, this way I came to be Sri Ramachandra's wife. I love him and I would like to live righteously as the wife of a man who is a paragon of all human virtues."
This touching account of grihasthadharma must have made sage Atri and Sri Ramachandra supremely happy in their heartof hearts. Now, you the readers have to decide whether Sri Rama and Atri or Sita and Anasuya are luckier. Don'tyou think you are in a dilemna to decide who among them were luckier?The most important thing to state here is that sage Atri was a dry and detached human being. He was very much part of life and he took great pleasure and pride in being a family man.
Everyone, especially a young man has to take a leaf from Sage Atri's book and accept him as a model husband. An experienced and old couple also have a lot to learn from him. Family life is sweet and it makes life richer. It is the crowning part of one's life.
Workship the couple
We are telling you the story of sage Atri but we cannot think of the sage or getting immortal Anasuya.Theirs is an ideal life. They are a rare couple. They lived a rich purposeful happy and useful life. Be it in tapas or in their ashram,theirs was one soul in two bodies. One can never seperate the moon beam from the moon, fragrance from a flower. In the same way sage Atri and mother Anasuya are inseperable. We have to remember both at the same time. Sage Atris a cream among the sages of Bharathiya tradition.
Today we see differences of opinion between the young and the grown ups. The grownups are different to the needs and feelings of the young. The young have no respect for the old. At the same time when we see pride, Intolence, jealously and lack of confidence among the members of a family and as a result we sadly witness the breaking of the joint families, drowning life in sorrow and pain, the model life of our great rishi couples should infuse confidence and a new lease of life in everyone of us. Their lives should be our beacon. We are blessed by them and only then can we hope to bring about real happiness and welfare of human beings. Let us respect them and workship them our own god.