Why The Agnipariksha?

Thanks for giving the links.very interesting .

 

Quite a read , this thread. Nearly 2 hours spent , special thanks to Vishwa, Dr.S, jayasala42 , and others I am strutting around feeling very wise.

Seriously , the beauty of the Ramayana is that I see a little more in each phase. When I was 5 it was exciting stories. When I was 15, it was something I could haughtily argue against, At 25 I was still convinced of my superiority , as thirties rolled in and a few strands starting to grey, I started to interpret it differently. And this thread is now preparing me for my mid-forties journey along with a lot more grey hair.

 

This seems to have been a common feature in ancient times!
As Telemachus grew up fatherless and Penelope forlornly toiled at her loom keeping insistent suitors at bay, Odysseus was gone for 20 years! So long that she fails to recognize him when he returns, and then that famous story of the rooted bed, one of my favorites from childhood!
Here is Homer in translation: Odyssey, Book 23.

 

I am producing a portion of the Yudda Kanda in English for those who are Sanskrit challenged as translation from the Sanskrit text of Valmiki Ramayan for everyone to know what was said by Lord Rama before mother Sita took a decision to enter the pyre:

"Let it be known to you that this endeavor in the shape of war, which has been successfully carried through, due to the strength of my friends was not undertaken for your sake. Let there be prosperity to you! This was done by me in order to keep my good conduct to wipe of the evil-speaking from all sides as well as the insinuation on my own illustrious dynasty"

"You with a suspicion arisen on your character, standing in front of me, are extremely disagreeable to me, even as a light to one, who is suffering from a poor eye-sight"

"O Seetha! That is why, I am permitting you now. Go wherever you like. All these ten directions are open to you, my dear lady! There is no work to be done to me, by you"

"Which noble man, born in an illustrious race, will take back a woman who lived in another's abode, with an eager mind?"

"While mentioning greatly about my lineage, how can I accept again, you were harassed in Ravana's lap (while being borne away by him) and who were seen (by him) with evil looks?"

"You were won by me with that end in view (viz.the retrieval of my lost honor). The honor has been restored by me. For me, there is no intense attachment in you. You may go wherever you like from here"

"O gracious lady! Therefore, this has been spoken by me today, with a resolved mind. Set your mind on Lakshmana or Bharata, as per your ease"

"O Seetha! Otherwise, set your mind either on Shatrughna or on Vibhishana the demon: or according to your own comfort"

"Seeing you, who are endowed with a beautiful form and attractive to the sense, detained for long in his abode, Ravana could not have endured your separation"

Hearing the unpalatable speech of her husband, Seetha who used to hear pleasing words alone, was very much trembled for long, like a creeper attacked by the proboscis of an elephant and thereupon shed tears".

Chapter 115 Verses 15-25 of Yuddha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana

Mother Seetha's taunting reply to Rama is in Chapter 116, Gods reaching Lanka and approaching Rama is in Chapter 117, The fire-god appearing in person from the burning pyre is in Chapter 118. It is in Chapter 118, Rama declared that "The world would chatter against me. saying that Rama, the son of Dasaratha, was really foolish and that his mind was dominated by lust, if I accept Seetha without examining her with regard to her chastity. I also know that Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, who ever revolves in my mind, is undivided in her affection to me. Ravana could not violate this wide-eyed woman, protected as she was by her own splendor, any more than an ocean would transgress its bounds. In order to convince the three worlds, I, whose refugee is truth, ignored Seetha while she was entering the fire. The evil-minded Ravana was not able to lay his violent hands, even in thought, o the unobtainable Seetha, who was blazing like a flaming tongue of fire. This auspicious woman could not give way to the sovereignty, existing in the gynaecium of Ravana, in as much as Seetha is not different from me, even as sunlight is not different from the sun. Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, is completely pure in her character, in all the three worlds and can no longer be renounced by me, as a good name cannot be cast aside by a prudent man. The salutary advice of you all (to all Gods who appeared in front of him), the affectionate guardians of the world, who are saying what is conducive to our good, must be certainly carried out by me. Saying thus and getting reunited with his beloved Seetha, the victorious and highly illustrious Rama, a scion of Raghu dynasty, who was endowed with a great strength and deserved happiness and was being glorified by his exploits, performed by his own self, experienced joy."

Source: www.valmikiramayan.net

The above words are untainted by my interpretation and these are direct words of poet Valmiki translated into English. Please feel free to correct me if this is not a correct version. This is a women's forum and there is no need for a man to defend mother Seetha. I leave it to the elite ILites to discriminate and determine what is right or wrong.

Viswa

 

Dear Shri Viswa,
Even when I was preparing the reply, yours has already reached.'Thank you very much for the timely response.
The fire would not have been so scorching as Rama's words and they induced Sita to take the extreme step of proving herself by entering the fire.
Actually Valmiki himself was moved by this Agni pariksha .This made him contemplate that enough justice has not been done to Matha Sita and that is why he composed another kavya 'Adbhutha Ramayanam'or Sitayana
This is how it goes
ADBUTHA RAMAYANAM

• ---------------------------------------------
  Sage Valmiki after completing the epic Ramayana,somehow felt disturbed.He felt that
  the greatness of Sita Devi had not been brought out by him to the extent she deserved.
  Thus was born another kavya " Adbutha Ramayanam" by Valmiki.
  
  In Uttara kandam of Adbutha Ramayanam,all the sages and rishis paid a glorious tribute to Shri Rama for having annihilated Ravana & other demons. Simultaneously they expressed their sympathies to Sita remembering in detail all her sufferings at the hands of Ravana & other demonesses.
  
  Sita with a big smile on her countenance said''Ravana Samharam is not so great a deed as
  you think". The sages were surprised on her remarks and asked her to explain.Sita continued
  "In the Maanasoddhara Island there lived a demon called 'Sumali' and his daughter'Kaikasi' by name, married a sage called'vishravas' and begot two sons. The elder one Ravana ,by name with 1000 heads resided in Pushkara Island and the second one also known as Ravana had 10 heads and was residing in Lanka.My father Janaka and myself have heard about them even before my marriage.Sri Rama has killed the ten headed Ravana with the help of Sugreeva ,Vibheeshana and vanaras.Rama's valour could better be proved only if he kills the 1000 headed Ravana ."
  
  On hearing Sita's remarks Rama set out with his huge army to attack the elder Ravana. But on being warned about this attack by an unknown voice( Ashareeri) Ravana annihilated the entire army of Rama with a 'Vayu Astra'.Rama's Brahmastra also was rendered powerless and he fell down helplessly on earth.
  
  Immediately Janaki Devi transformed herself into a huge fierce form .Adorning a huge garland of skulls she annihilated the 1000headed Ravana and wiped off his entire retinue..
  Valmiki describes Sita's Ghora Tandavam as that of Maha Kali.Shiva is said to have protected the earth from the heaviest and strongest stampings of Sita Devi.
  After some time' Roudra Janaki' became very calm and Rama asked her to reveal who she really was.
  Sita introduced herself as'Maheshwari,the prime Parasakthi ,the mulaadhara of all creations in the universe.As she narrated this,, Shri Rama saw a beautiful crescent on her head.With her power Sita brought back all the people in Rama's army back to life. Sita concluded that all her powers were gifted to her by Shri Rama only and she was nobody without Rama.
  
  This epic is in the form of conversation between Sage Valmiki and Sage Bharatwaja.Valmiki introduces Sita as"MOOLA PRAKRITI",the basis of the entire universe.
  
  The above episode is based on the research work and commentary on " Adbhuta Ramayanam" by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Dr. V..Raghavan.
  
  Many of us would not have heard about the existence of such an epic.But it keeps on record that Sita is none but Parashakthi and her consort Rama also was seen by her as Parameshwara.
  
  To conclude, Shri Rama and Shiva, Sita Devi and Parashakti all represent a single source of'"CONSCIOUSNESS" or the same 'Shakti' is represented by all of them.
  It is essentially "one in all" or" All in one".
• Though it does not seem to have much relevance with the topic under discussion, this portrays Sita as a courageous girl ,more powerful than Rama and she is not meek as to have subjected herself to Agni pariksha.

jayasala 42

 

Dear Smt. Jayasala:

Thank you for sharing this and I have come to know this only now.

Viswa

 

whatever I still dont buy it.Even she did it herself she should have though what other women are going to pay for centuries down the road after that.

 

Given my family background, I am very familiar with exegetical commentary twisting this way and that. I have actually heard disquisitions on the one word "harsh" (as mentioned above) and what its implications might be. Unfortunately, if I am to maintain my anonymity, I cannot say more.

Now continue on down a few verses:

"O the destroyer of the adversaries. You are seen (to exist) at the beginning and at the end of creation. Yet, you ignore Seetha, just like a common man."
Hearing the words of those guardians of the world, Rama, the lord of creation, who was born in Raghu dynasty and the foremost one among protectors of righteousness, spoke to those god-chiefs as follows:
"I think of myself to be a human being, by name Rama, the son of Dasaratha. You, as a gracious Divinity, tell me that which I as such really am like this."

What might this mean? More follows.

 

Let me try and provide one possibility from an entirely different realm.

One of my favorite books on art is: "The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and Modern Oblivion" (U of Chicago Press) by Leo Steinberg, formerly Ben Franklin Professor of Art History at U Penn. Originally delivered as the Lionel Trilling seminar at Columbia, it proposed a radical thesis.

In his book, Steinberg asks the question - why do so many works of renaissance art give a prominent place to the Christ's genitals? (visual evidence can be found by looking at the book (PDF here) or via Google images). His answer (oversimplified here) is this: The most important aspect of the Christ as messiah and savior is not his divinity but his humanity - in Indian parlance this would imply his avatar, as a man, on the Bu-Lokha. For the medieval Franciscans, this carried profound meaning. "Nudus nudum Christum sequi" - Follow naked the naked Christ, acknowledge the fragile, fallen nature of humanity. And so, I quote Lee Siegel quoting Steinberg:

".... from about the middle of the thirteenth century until the sixteenth century artists lavished particular care on Christ’s penis, the part of Christ’s body that made him most mortal, and which proved his union with humankind. “One must recognize,” wrote Steinberg, “an ostentatio genitalium comparable to the canonic ostentatio vulnerum, the showing forth of the wounds.”

The renaissance artists reveled in depicting the sexuality of Christ to emphasize his humanity, the willingness of the Son of God to become fully human.

And so it is with Valmiki (not a one-to-one correspondence, I might add, but ...).

The rest of it is homework.

The book is short and a tour de force. If you have the slightest interest in art history, I would encourage you read it. It is worth the effort - not important whether you agree with the thesis, one can read it profitably for originality alone. Besides it is short, refreshingly free of jargon and completely accessible.

Here you can read Frank Kermode's review of Steinberg.

OK, that's enough from me. My aim is simply to suggest that these are deep waters. OP can deal with the rest of it.