LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT SITA

It was the month of January 1989, the month of Mahakumbh at Allahabad and I was in Allahabad for that. Being born and brought up at Allahabad, I had, by that time given up taking dip in holy waters of Sangam on the most important tithis of Kumbh, namely Mauni Amavasya and Makar Sankranti. The reason being, excessive crowds on these occasions, which always deterred me from doing this.

But I would, on these visits to Allahabad invariably visited Kumbh area every day, just to get in my system the awesome feeling of what this Dharmic congregation of millions of faithful is all about. There are certain things in Hindu Dharm which you just have to feel it, be a part of it and that’s all.

On one such visit of the area in evening, I happened to meet a Sadhu (incidentally Kumbh area is packed with Sadhus and one has to rely on ones intuition as to whom to meet...). He was sitting with four of his disciples. I sat nearby. After the usual rounds of pleasantries and introduction, and observing that he was regularly reciting the names of Mata Sita and Lord Ram, I asked him one question from Ramayan and the question was “Why did Shri Ram asked Mata Sita for Agni pariksha when he loved Sita so dearly?”

He sat there silently for a while and then told me that he was highly educated. He was a graduate from Agra University and that now he had renounced everything. Renunciation must be physical and practical, he said. He was, he said, a wandering Sadhu and that he travelled a lot. He said that no one can get the entire answers about Ramayan, until and unless one creates and visualizes the Historical environment of that time. The epic written by Maharishi Valmiki has lot of voids, and everyone knows that. Yet people try to answer questions pertaining to voids without going into historical and geographical environment of that time, and usually such answers are wrong.

The second problem, he said was that people who answer or need the answer do not entirely believe that Shri Ram was a historical figure. “You have to first believe that Shri Ram was a historical figure and an incarnation of Vishnu and your belief MUST be ABSOLUTE”, he said. “Secondly you must understand comprehensively that the incarnation of Lord Vishnu was to establish Dharm, and as such every important event in which Shri Ram or Mata Sita was involved would provide a Dharm. Sometimes two event clubbed together would constitute a Dharm”.

“Agni pariksha and disownment of Sita after Shri Ram became King are connected”, he said. “Sita was disowned after Shri Ram rejected the result of Agni Pariksha, and that too after a fair trial”.

“And now regarding the void. Valmiki Ramayan do tell us that Ravan came out to fight on the 3rd day itself only to be sent back by Shri Ram. While sending him back, Shri Ram told Ravan that there were lots of warriors in his army. ‘Let them come out and fight me, you can come later’. Now this is a void that is required to be filled”, he said.

“There are large numbers of Sadhus who believe that after the disfiguring of Surpnakha and death of Khar and Dushan, Ravan came to meet Shri Ram when Lakshman was away. He told Shri Ram ‘you have challenged me and I would gladly fight. Tell me when we should fight. In case you are an Avatar of Lord Vishnu, you might kill me otherwise my victory is certain’. Shri Ram told him he was here to kill all the powerful and wicked Rakshas, who were tormenting human races, and that he would not rest till his mission is complete. He further told Ravan that there were other subtler Rakshas who need not be killed. He advised Ravan to make sure that the powerful and wicked Rakshas were sent to fight first, and that IF Ravan got killed, prior to this, then the destruction of entire Rakshas tribe was a possibility, which Ravan must avoid.

‘But how can I do that?’ retorted Ravan, ‘most of these Rakshas are my close relative, some are my own sons. It is not possible for anybody to see and endure such mass destruction of his sons, close relatives’, he said. ‘You are a Pundit and a Siddha’, said Shri Ram ‘you can easily request Sanghaarkarni(a Siddha Devi of Ravan) to stay in one of your gardens, away from palace, where you can go and meet all your relatives ( the dead ones) and you would see them happy’. 

Sita was hearing the entire conversation sitting nearby. She knew she was Sanghaarkaarni, an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi with destructive powers. Sage Valmiki, in his Adbhuta Ramayana, also mentions Sita as Mahakali. Perhaps Mata Sita had no other option then to accede to the request of faithful when she crossed Lakshman Rekha” he concluded.

Rest would be conclusions and should be left for individuals to make.

Please also read : AGNI PARIKSHA OF SITA ....FACTS