Shaanta, Ram ki Bhooli Hui Badi Behen

Sabhi jaante hain ki Ayodhya ke raja Dashrath ke chaar putra the — Ram, Bharat, Lakshman aur Shatrughn. Par Ramayan ki uttari parampara paanchvi santaan ki smriti sanjoye hai, ek badi beti jiski katha unhin prasiddh rajkumaron ke janm mein buni hui hai. Uska naam tha Shaanta.

Shaanta ka janm Dashrath aur unki badi raani Kaushalya se hua tha, aur ve Ram ki badi behen thin. Par Dashrath ke priya mitra Ang desh ke raja Rompaad nihsantaan the, aur un dinon santaanheen mitra ko santaan dena udaar kaarya maana jaata tha. Atah shishu Shaanta ko Rompaad ko god de diya gaya, aur ve Ang ke mahal mein uski rajkumari ke roop mein badi huin, us bhaai se door jise ve kabhi sachmuch jaan na sakeen.

Jab Shaanta yuvati thin, Ang desh mein bhayankar sookha pada. Varsh dar varsh varsha na hui, nadiyaan dhaagon mein simat gayin, khet phat gaye, aur praja bhookhon marne lagi. Rompaad ke brahmanon ne shaastra khangaale aur ghoshit kiya ki keval ek vyakti sookha samaapt kar sakta hai: Rishyashring naamak ek yuva rishi, jinmein varsha bulaane ki shakti thi.

Rishyashring koi saadhaaran rishi na the. Ve tapasvi Vibhaandak ke putra the, Kashyap ke vanshaj, aur kaha jaata tha ki unka janm hirni se hua tha aur unke mastak par chhota-sa seeng tha — isiliye unka naam "mrig-shring wale" pada. Unke pita ne unhein van mein poorn ekaant mein paala tha; baalak ne koi anya manushya na dekha tha, striyon ya nagaron ke baare mein kuchh na jaanta tha, aur uski nishkapatata ne uski tapasya ko apaar shakti di thi. Aise rishi ko van se lubhaana asambhav lagta tha, kyunki unke pita eershyaapoorvak unki raksha karte the.

Rompaad ke mantriyon ne saahasi yojana banaai. Sundar ganikaon ka ek dal van mein bheja gaya, madira, mithaaiyon, sundar vastron aur maalaon se lada hua. Unhone yuva rishi ko akela paaya aur akalpaniya vastuon se unhein chakaachaundh kar diya. Kadam dar kadam lubhaaye jaakar Rishyashring unke peechhe van se nikalkar Ang ki raajdhaani ki or chale. Jis kshan unke pair ne rajya ki mitti chhui, aakaash khul gaya. Mooslaadhaar varsha hui, nadiyaan uthin, khet hare hue, aur praja harshit hui maano devta swayam laut aaye hon.

Kritagyata se abhibhoot Rompaad ne rishi ko desh ke sabse kuleen parivaaron mein se koi bhi vadhu chunne ka avsar diya. Yuva rishi ne, jinhone ganikaon ke alaava koi stree na dekhi thi, rajkumari Shaanta ko dekha — aur unhein chuna. Is prakaar Shaanta, bachpan mein di gayi Ayodhya ki putri, varsha laane wale rishi se byaahi gayin aur Ang ki rajkumari se bhi oopar sammaanit huin.

Shaanta ka apna hriday, puraane geet kehte hain, mishrit jal ki shaant jheel tha. Ve Ang se prem karti thin, us bhoomi se jisne unhein paala tha, aur Rishyashring se komalta se prem karti thin jisne unke vanya van-svabhaav ko saadh liya tha. Phir bhi raatri ke gahan praharon mein ve kabhi-kabhi us parivaar ke baare mein sochtin jise unhone kho diya tha — vah pita jisne unhein de diya tha, vah maata jiska chehra unhein yaad na tha, vah chhota bhaai jo Ayodhya mein janma tha jise unhone kabhi god mein na liya tha. Unhone na sandesh bheje na prashn poochhe, kyunki god di gayi rajkumari poornatah apne naye ghar ki hoti hai. Par bhaagya, jisne unhein alag kiya tha, chupchaap unke dhaagon ko phir se bun raha tha. Jab Ayodhya se nimantran antatah aaya — ek raajsi yagya jismein unke pati ki upasthiti aavashyak thi — to Shaanta samajh gayin ki devta unhein, vichitratam dhang se, khoya hua parivaar lauta rahe the.

Varshon baad, jab Dashrath putra na hone se niraash the, to unhone apne daamaad ki hi sharan li. Putrakaameshti, santaan praapti ka yagya, karne ke liye us rishi se behtar kaun hota jinki upasthiti maatra ne ek baar varsha bulaai thi? Rishyashring Ayodhya aaye aur mahaan yagya sampann karaaya. Yagya ki agni se ek tejasvi purush prakat hua jiske haath mein meethi paayas ka swarn paatra tha, jo Dashrath ki teenon raaniyon mein baanta gaya. Yathaasamay Kaushalya ne Ram ko, Kaikeyi ne Bharat ko, aur Sumitra ne judvaan Lakshman aur Shatrughn ko janm diya.

Is prakaar vah behen jiska mahaakaavya mein shaayad hi naam aata hai, vah dhuri ban gayi jis par sampoorn Ramayan ghoomti hai: Shaanta ke pati ke bina na divya paayas hota, na chaar rajkumar, na Ram. Kullu ki pahaadiyon mein aur Shringeri ke mandir-nagar mein aaj bhi mandir khade hain jahaan Shaanta aur Rishyashring ki ek saath pooja hoti hai — ek shaant smaran ki itihaas keval naayakon se nahin gadha jaata, balki un bhoole huon se bhi jo naayakon ko sambhav banaate hain.