Ordeal by Fire-2-- The case for Sita-piraati - FINAL ARGUMENTS- 1 of 2

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Sadagopan Iyengar,

 

We will continue our little playacting on the subject

that was begun in my earlier posting.

 

---------------------

 

Although I rise to present the case for the

prosecution, I shall leave the actual performance of

the task to 'Sita-pirAtti' herself. She has spoken so

forcefully and movingly, I should say, on her own

behalf in the pages of Srimadh Valmiki Ramayana,

especially in the "uttara-kAnda". It is there on

record for all to see (students of Ramayana must make

it a point in fact to read through the entire "kAnda",

especially 'sargas' 45 thro' 97 -- at least in a good

Tamil/English translation even if not in the original.

I usually refer to "Lectures on the Ramayana" by

Srinivasa Sastry and "The Ramayana" by Sri

N.Raghunathan). We will merely reproduce it here.

 

The words of Sita were spoken to Lakshmana on the

banks of the River Ganges, far away from the city of

Ayodhya, but very near a forest-reserve of Vedic

'rshi-s' and monks.

 

Sita-pirAtti at that time was pregnant with Sri Rama's

children. She had no idea at all why she'd been

brought to the spot by Lakshmana all the way from

Ayodhya.

 

Suddenly, Lakshmana broke down and wept. "Why do you

weep?" asked Sita surprised.

 

It was then that Lakshmana broke the news to her that,

under orders of King Rama, henceforth she must remain

in the company of forest-'rshi-s' and must never

return to Rama or Ayodhya for at least 12 years. With

eyes brimming with hot tears and a heart bursting with

sorrow, Lakshmana explained to Sita-pirAtti the King

of Ayodhya had banished her to exile. Ordinary

subjects in the land of Ayodhya, he said, were still

carrying on a widespread whispering campaign to again

besmirch her fair name in the "agni-parIksha" event

long, long ago in Lanka.

 

When she heard this, Sita-pirAtti felt the world

around her simply crumble. She was aghast. So many

years after her innocence had been proven through

"agni-pravEsa", the cloud of suspicion and black

doubt, she realized, still hung over Ayodhya! Above

all else, Sri Rama too had chosen to take cognizance

of it, and once again, wanted to disown her and banish

her out of sight.

 

Sita-pirAtti sank... but only for a brief moment.

 

Gathering herself up quickly and, with a mighty effort

of will, she spoke in a calm and composed voice to

Lakshmana. It was an intense but dignified speech...

the best probably one can find in all of the Valmiki

Ramayana. It is that speech which we shall reproduce

below for the benefit and edification of the Court.

 

After we have finished hearing Sita-pirAtti, the

Prosecution will next duly proceed to frame charges

against the defendant. Thereafter, I shall rest my

case.

***********

 

VOICE OF SITA-PIRATTI:

 

"Why do you weep, LakshmaNa? Do not weep for me. Here

me, LakshmaNa, my last word to you. I was born to be

unhappy. The spirit of sorrow is incarnate in me by

the will of the Creator. So far as I can see, my

conduct has been pure. I have not deserved to be

abandoned by my lord and master. It is clear that I

must have committed some atrocious sin in my previous

birth. May be, I cruelly parted a man from his loving

wife.

 

PROSECUTION COMMENTS:

*** (Readers should carefully note above, what Sita

says -- "I have not deserved to be abandoned by my

lord and master". There is no more clear and damning

indictment of Rama's injustice in the "agni-parIksha"

afair than this statement of Sita-pirAtti.

 

It is also significant to note that even at this late

point of time in the Ramayana, "sita-piratti" DOES NOT

talk of her sad plight being the result of any divine

retribution for the so-called words of "apachAram" she

once hurled at Lakshmana in the "mAreecha" affair.

 

Throughout the Ramayana, such a thought never even

occured to her! This is very, very significant indeed.

If ever at all Sita had felt guilty, even secretly

guilty about having wronged Lakshmana in the

"aranya-kAnda", she MUST have been troubled in

conscience at sometime or other. But the fact is, Sita

never did so. And that is because she was utterly

blameless in that particular episode of the

"aranya-kAnda".

 

It had been just temporary madness that seized her

back then. She had said all sorts of harsh things to

Lakshmana in that frenzied moment. Rama too had

realized it and had forgiven her long, long ago for it

as seen in the pages of the "aranya-kAnda".

 

No, never, Sita's plight was never the result of any

wrongdoing done unto Lakshmana. We see Sita here

suspecting rather that it is due perhaps to something

worse in a "previous birth", but she knows not exactly

what.

 

All this clearly proves that the usual

"traditionalist" commentary that Sita's predicament in

the "agni-parIksha" affair was divine punishment meted

out to her by Rama for wrong done unto Lakshmana in

the "mAreecha" affair --- that commentary is pure

speculation and absolutely baseless myth.)***

 

VOICE OF SITA-PIRATTI:

 

"Lakshmana, when last I lived in hermitages, I was

with Rama and in devoted service to him, and hence I

did not feel any privation or hardship. Tell me now,

how shall I explai my presence here, all alone, to

these 'rshi-s'? What crime shall I own up to as being

the cause of my exile here? They will all only say

this to themselves, "Our King Rama is the very soul of

justice (dharma). Why has he discarded his queen

again?"

 

PROSECUTION COMMENTS:

*** (See how prescient is Sita-pirAtti! Even as far

back as in the "trEta-yuga", she correctly anticipated

the facile argument that would forever prevail amongst

the people of the world, for generations and

generations to come to this very day! Her fear was

"Even the good-hearted "rshis" of the forest will find

it hard to believe I'm blameless! They would however

have no similar difficulty in believing Rama, since

Rama, after all, can do no wrong. If good "rshis"

won't believe me, there is no doubt mortals of the

world will blindly follow suit too!".

 

In fact, it precisely that standard but glib argument

-- and Sita-pirAtti's worst fear -- which Sri

Sadagopan Iyengar, hon'ble defense counsel, put

forward in that infamous statement of his -- "If it

was done by Rama, it must be right!").***

 

VOICE OF SITA:

 

"Ah Lakshmana, I have no use for life, and may end it

here in the waters of the Ganga. But I have in me the

proper seed of the royal family and hence will not

kill myself. Well, leave me then to my fate. Only I

have something to say still. Take back my message to

Ayodhya.

 

"First, my prostrations, my humble prostrations, at

the feet of my mothers-in-law as well as then at the

feet of the King. Tell Him then on my behalf, O

Lakshmana, this: "You know Dharma and practise it at

all risks. In your heart you will admit my character

is without a stain. I have never been false to you

whether in mind or in body. Yet because your subjects

suspect my purity, you throw me out.

 

"So be it. I submit."

 

"You honour and love your people, the same as you

honour and love your brothers. If to preserve your

good name among them, I must be sacrificed, I am

content to be sacrificed. As you serve your subjects,

so I serve you, not less but more. This body of mine

is nothing. TO me as to any woman, the husband is

everything, he is kindred, he is preceptor, he is God.

My duty is to be of use to him and in his service to

lay down my life, if need be.

 

"Only please take good note of my body, O Lakshmana.

It bears obvious signs of pregnancy. Rama knows this

well, but still it is better that you witness my

condition with your own eyes, and relate it back to

the King and to the people of Ayodhya, so that there

are no dark doubts in their minds later on..."

 

PROSECUTION COMMENTS:

It is clear from SIta's own words and assessment as to

what were Sri Rama's true motives in the

"agni-parIksha" episode.

 

It was not to punish Sita for her alleged misdemeanour

towards Lakshmana in the "aranya-kAnda". (The

so-called "misdemeanour" is but a figment of

"traditonalist" commentators). It was not to uphold

some high-faluting principle of "dharma" or anything.

 

It was simply to "look good" as a King in the eyes of

his vast numbers of subjects in the kingdom... As Sita

herself says above: "You honour and love your people,

the same as you honour and love your brothers. If to

preserve your good name among them, I must be

sacrificed, I am content to be sacrificed".

 

In order to "look good" in the eyes of the subjects,

we saw that Sri Rama was willing to sacrifice

"pirAtti" not once, (as in the "yuddha-kAnda") but

also again, the second time, in the "uttara-kAnda"

above. Further, as if insult was not enough to add to

injury, Sri Rama was willing to sacrifice her on a

third occasion yet again, also in the "uttara-kAnda".

That we will see below:

 

In the final chapters of the "uttara-kAndam", there is

one very moving event in which Sita speaks as she is

compelled to defend her purity again. Sita's two sons,

Lava and Kusha, were both recognized for who they were

in the palace of Ayodhya, and coming to know who their

mother really was, Rama asked that Sita be brought to

his presence in the palace. Valmiki himself decided to

accompany Sita into Lord Rama's presence.

 

But before Valmiki can do that, Rama's asks that Sita

swear publicly about her purity. He commands that she

must appear before the royal assembly, and the general

public too, and take before all of them a solemn oath

or 'sapatha' testifying that she is un-tainted. Rama

makes that a pre-condition to a meeting with Sita in

the presence of Valmiki.

 

Sita refuses pointblank. Hear what our "pirAtti", who

by then had already donned the saffron robes of a

forest 'sAdhvi', a forest-renunciate, says (VII.97.

15-21):

 

VOICE OF SITA-PIRATTI:

 

"As I have never let my thought wander away from Rama,

so let my mother Earth ("bhumi-devi") give me an

opening. I will go back to where I came from. This

earth is not for me, nor this husband, nor these

subjects whom no proof can ever convince".

 

PROSECUTION COMMENTS:

The "uttara-kAnda" ends with the scene of the Earth

opening up and a celestial throne appearing therefrom

and Mother Earth beckoning Sita-pirAtti with the most

poignant words in the Ramayana:

 

"My daughter, come back to me. You have had enough of

this earth".

 

*******************************************************

 

We shall now leave Sita-pirAtti alone... and return to

our own "mundane" discussions.

 

The question of Sita-pirAtti's chastity arose in the

Ramayana on 3 different and separate occasions -- once

on the battle-field of Lanka in the "yuddha-kAnda";

the second, at the beginning of the "uttara-kAnda"

when Rama ordered Lakshmana to take her and leave her

in the forests among "rshi-s"; and finally, at the end

of the "uttara-kAnda", when Rama wanted her to take a

public oath of virtue before appearing in his presence

with Valmiki.

 

Now, the prosecution wishes to pose this question to

the honb'le defense-counsel:

 

If on the first occasion, the "agni-parIksha" of the

"yuddha-kAnda", it is claimed Sita-pirAtti received

due punishment for her purported misdemeanour against

Lakshmana in the "mAricha" episode, what about the 2nd

and 3rd instances in the "uttara-kAnda"? When Rama

again dealt her severe punishment on the same charge

as the very first one i.e. her suspected purity, what

was his great motive?

 

Can the defense-counsel please elaborate?

 

I say, he cannot because he and his band of so-called

"traditionalist" commentators will have run out of

ideas and imagination in concocting flimsy, facile and

fallacious grounds of arguments on which somehow they

can make their desperate case stand:

 

"If Rama did it, it must be right!"

 

****************

 

My Lord, "amicus curie", and members of the jury!

 

The Prosecution now seeks a brief adjournment. We have

not yet concluded our arguments. In our next posting,

which will be final and brief, the prosecution will

frame clear charges against the defendent. Until then

we beseech the Defense-counsel please not to interrupt

proceedings.

 

I beg too the court's patience and time.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

dAsan,

 

Sudarshan

Counsel for My most gracious Lady, "Sita-pirAtti"

 

 

 

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