I have been trying to find a good rational explanation for ages and the ones that were made did not make any sense to me.
Do you agree that in Ramayana, Rama was right in putting Sita through Agni Pariksha to prove her chastity after defeating Ravana? Couldn’t he trust his wife’s words that she protected herself from getting harmed from Ravana?
Though I am aware of the various explanations that have been put forward like the Sita kidnapped by Ravana was an “image of Sita” and not her and when she passed through the burning flame, the ‘real’ Sita returned. Also that it was necessary for Sita to pass through the Agni Pariksha to prove her purity.
I don’t quite agree with it coz when it’s taken in context with the common man. Does it mean that a man who does not trust his wife can make her go through a test to prove her faithfulness? I know the times were different but the issue of trust is interpreted differently not they way I think most of will do.
On top of that, after clearing the “Agni Pariksha” and going back to Ayodha, she is again send on a second exile when a common man says that he is not great enough like Lord Rama to accept his wife who had lived in another man’s house.
There are various interpretations of the decision taken by Rama to send Sita on exile. One of them is that he took the decision as a king and not as a husband. What I fail to understand is why no attempt was made to make the public understand about the purity of Sita and that she was not unchaste as it was made out to be? Does it not send the message across that if a man thinks that his wife is unchaste he can throw her out of the house especially without proving whether it was indeed the case?
Remember the public opinion is not always right. If it’s the king duty to look after his people then it’s also his duty to remove any misconceptions that arose within the public.
If one looks from Sita’s point of view, she ended up losing her husband and paid for the crime of abduction by Ravana. It’s no surprise that she took refuge in Dharti mata when Rama came to take her back to Ayodha in case fingers were pointed at her again…
P.S.: If anyone has better explanation, I am all ears.
