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 to be one of the oldest civilizations along with Greece, Rome, China, Egypt, etc. but with the exception of the Indian civilizations, all the other ancient civilizations could not withstand the blows of time and vanished. Now they are only part of the history books and academic expeditions. In India, our thousands of years of history are still a part of all Indian households. Every day we hear the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabaharata and every child is aware of these stories and characters. Tyrants and attackers always tried to destroy our ancient history throughout the centuries, but they 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 worship and respect the women of 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 regarded as the incarnation of Supreme Lord Vishnu from a different perspective and her plight as Une femme. .
In India, mothers still tell their daughters to dedicate themselves to their husbands like Sita was. But have we seen Sita only as a human being and not as a goddess? If we look at her from this perspective, we will notice that all her life she simply suffered, especially because of others. She lived 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 her and got her back. But after that, what did he do? He asked him to test its purity. He asked her to stop by Agneepariksha to prove her purity, as she was in the land of another male for a year. Sita passed through Agneepariksha and proved her purity. But if Rama were pure, Sita could have asked him to test his purity, since he too was away from his wife for a year and lived in various kingdoms.
Even after, Rama accepted her return, her situation continued, and she was abandoned in the forest just because of a rumor. We salute Rama as a full and strong king, but why was he legitimate and strong only for his compatriots and not for his wife Sita, who was with him through thick and thin. For him, Sita’s life just didn’t matter. What mattered most was his own name and personal recognition. He did not take the manly path of defending his wife and stopping the rumor of what as king he should have done and what he was supposed to do as a husband convinced of his wife’s innocence. Sita was abandoned in the forest to die, but as luck favored, she was saved by the sage Valmiki and found a resort in his ashram where she gave birth to twins Rama, Luv and Kusha. It was Valmiki who gave Sita and her children protection and a place to live. During the due time, King Rama never bothered to ask about her in those 12 years and whether she was alive or dead. Later, legend has it, King Rama was reunited with his sons after the famous Ashwamedha Yagna.
But before returning Sita to his life, Rama again proclaimed: ‘I am aware that Sita is pure and chaste and that Luv and Kusha are my children. She went through the Agneepariksha demonstrating her purity, so I took her back. But the people of my kingdom still had doubts about her, so as a rightful king and to maintain the respect of my kingdom, I abandoned her. Therefore, let Sita taste her purity one more time and I will accept her.
I suppose it was enough for Sita as she suffered a lot without an iota of error on her part and said, ‘I never imagined anyone except Rama, even in my wildest dreams. So let Mother Earth open up and cover me. As I always loved Rama in words, thoughts and deeds, may Mother Earth open 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 her husband and children behind. 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 many other things changed over time. But the plight of women still continues. Every day we hear news of killings related to dowry, female feticide, rape, domestic violence. The women of India are still suffering in the same way that Sita suffered and her plight still continues. It is women who have to break this chain, women need to awaken and proclaim their legitimacy in this male-dominated society. You can no longer be like Sita. No more Agneeparikshas to demonstrate your purity and devotion because every day, women in India go through an Agneepariksha of their own. Such is the plight of Sita and the Indian woman.
