India, a country older than history itself, where the first seeds of civilizations were cultivated and India, land of myths and legends.
India is considered as one of the oldest civilizations along with Greece, Rome, China, Egypt, etc. But except for the Indian civilizations, all the other ancient civilizations could not bear the blows of time and faded away. Now they are just part of history books and as part of academic expeditions. In India, our thousands of years of history are still a part of every Indian home. Every day we hear the stories of Ramayana and The Mahabaharata and every child knows these stories and characters. Tyrants and raiders have always tried to destroy our ancient history throughout the centuries, but they have never succeeded. Our stories that are still part of our education as they were thousands of years ago. The various mythologies of India played a crucial role in shaping India today, and therefore the women in those mythologies. We adore and respect women from Indian mythology like Sita, Draupadi, Radha etc. In her article, we will take a look at the most respected woman in our mythology and Hindu religion, Sita, the devoted wife of Lord Rama, who is considered to be the incarnation of the Supreme Lord Vishnu from a different perspective and her plight as an Una. women.
In India, mothers still tell their daughters to devote themselves to their husbands like Sita did. But have we seen Sita as a simple human being and not as a Goddess? If we look at her from this perspective, we will realize that she simply suffered all her life, mainly because of others. She dwelt in the forest for fourteen years just to satisfy the male egos of her father-in-law, King Dashratha, and her husband, Prince Rama. She was kidnapped from the forest due to the evil and lustful eyes of another man, the King of Lanka Raavana. Of course, Rama fought for it and got it back. But after that, what did she do? She asked him to test her purity. He asked her to go through Agneepariksha to test her purity as she was in another man’s land for a year. Sita went through the Agneepariksha and demonstrated her purity. But if Rama were pure, Sita could have asked him to test her purity, since he too was away from his wife for a year and lived in various kingdoms.
Even after Rama accepted her back, her plight continued and she was abandoned in the forest just because of a rumor. We hail Rama as a complete and strong king by right, but why was he just and strong only for his countrymen and not for his wife Sita, who was with him through thick and thin? To him, Sita’s life simply did not matter. What mattered most was her own personal name and her recognition. He did not take the manly course of defending his wife and stopping the rumor that as king he should have done and that as a husband he was convinced of his wife’s innocence he was supposed to do. Sita was left in the forest to die, but luckily, the sage Valmiki saved her and found a resort in her ashram where she gave birth to Rama’s twins, Luv and Kusha. It was Valmiki who gave protection and a place to live to Sita and her children. During due time, King Rama never bothered to ask about her in those 12 years and whether she was alive or dead. Later, according to legend, King Rama met his sons after the famous Ashwamedha Yagna.
But before taking Sita back into his life, Rama once more proclaimed: ‘I am aware that Sita is pure and chaste and that Luv and Kusha are my children. It went through the Agneepariksha proving the purity of it, so I returned it. But the people of my kingdom still had doubts about her, so as the rightful king and to maintain the respect of my kingdom, I abandoned her. Therefore, let Sita demonstrate her purity once more and I will accept her.’
I guess it was enough for Sita, as she suffered a lot without an iota of mistake on her part and said, ‘I never imagined anyone except Rama, even in my wildest dreams. So, may Mother Earth open me up and cover me. As I have always loved Rama in words, thoughts and deeds, may Mother Earth open me up and bury me!’ After these words, Mother Earth opened her arms and welcomed Sita. Celestial flowers bestowed on Sita and she went forever into the lap of Mother Earth, leaving behind her husband and her children. This story implies that Sita preferred to die rather than return to Rama, who did not treat her well.
It is the plight of Sita and the tragedy of most Indian women. In India, women are asked to behave like Sita only to live at the mercy of their husbands. Of course, time changed, and over time many other things changed as well. But the plight of women still continues. Every day we hear news about dowry-related murders, female feticide, rape and domestic violence. The women of India continue to suffer in the same way that Sita suffered and her situation continues. It is women who have to break this chain, women need to wake up and proclaim their legitimacy in this male dominated society. You can no longer be like Sita. No more Agneeparikshas to demonstrate her purity and devotion because every day, women in India go through an Agneepariksha of their own. Such is the situation of Sita and the Indian woman.