Sita Rama

"You said we will talk about Rama's treatment of Sita. Should we?"

"Now might be as good a time as any other. Why not?"

"So why the Agni Pareeksha? Why banish a pregnant lady to the jungles?"

"Slow down. Before we discuss that, let us try and define Dharma, as we know that Rama's philosophy was rooted in Dharma"

"I agree. But they say Dharma is to follow the Shastras. Now that is a big ask. Shastras are voluminous and endless"

"We have the essence of everything in the Gita. Remember, understanding and appreciating Rama and his path is best done after a reading of Gita"

"So be it. What's the essence of Dharma?"

"Dharma is based on a three dimensional perspective of life and it's vagaries. First dimension is to accept that everything happening to anyone is based on Prakriti or Vidhi or 'the system'"

"So we two talking here is predestined and not because I was curious?"

"Yes. Your curiosity is predestined and my happening to be the guy you are debating with is too. Our knowing each other, being in the same place, having the abilities we have. Our capabilities exist because we are to execute the predestined tasks"

"Interesting. Am I just a robot then?"

"You are intelligence itself. But that is a larger discussion. Let's stick to the point. First dimension of Dharma is to accept that everything is decided by Vidhi. Vidhiyuktam. Accept anything that comes your way because it couldn't have been any different"

"What if I do not accept? Is that Vidhi too?"

"That too. Yes. Your deciding to accept or not is also Vidhi. That Vidhi that gave you the situation also gave you the qualities to make decision about that situation"

"Hmmmm.. Ok. Go on"

"Rama accepted everything that Vidhi threw at him. King tomorrow. Accepted. Jungles for 14 years just before coronation. Accepted. Neither celebration nor sorrow"

"That's true. So he'd just do whatever anyone bides him to?"

"No. He had qualities to discern. He accepted because he believed in his Father's word, kingdom or jungle. Here the simple learning that parents word is the ultimate gospel is all he needed to know"

"Ok. What are the other dimensions?"

"Vivekam is next. The word essentially means the ability to see oneness in variety. Be it people or situations or outcomes. So for him, jungle or kingdom both would be leading him to same journey in life"

"How is that? Jungle means hardships. Kingdom is pleasure and riches"

"Not that way. If one cuts external aspects and focuses purely on the training of the mind to realize the Paramatma, then the turbulence a mind has to go through will not be different. Remember, Sanatana Dharma paid least importance to external circumstances. It is all about merging the individual mind into the infinite mind. That's the journey. For that journey, external circumstances do not matter"

"Wow. So was Rama a philosopher?"

"He was just an adherent to the purpose of life as understood at that time"

"Ok. Vidhiyuktam and Vivekam. What's the third dimension?"

"Third dimension follows from the first two. It is Vairagyam. Disinterestedness might be closest English word. Krishna called it Nishkama Karma"

"Glad that you bring that up. This is bunkum, Nishkama Karma. How can I do a task without desiring an outcome?"

"It doesn't say no purpose. It only says that putting best effort is all you can do. Outcome is Vidhiyuktam. So do not celebrate or cry because the outcome ended up matching or different from your expectation. Then you go against the first dimension"

"Oh....k. So expect but do not rue"

"Not only do not rue, but accept. That is more important"

"Understood. Vidhiyuktam, Vivekam and Vairagyam. Now can we discuss Sita"

"Yes. Remember also that Rama never celebrated his killing of Vaali or Ravana or the multitude of Asuras. He never showed off. He never fretted for anything including kingdom. All because of this three dimensional approach"

"Got it, mate. Why do I feel that you are avoiding the Sita subject"

"Ha..ha.. not at all. Let's go step by step"

"Ok"

"Rama did what Viswamitra, his Guru that time, told at the Swayamvara. However, when it came to wedding, he told Viswamitra that it is Dasaratha's call. So, Rama did not jump with joy and ran towards Sita. Neither did Sita towards Rama. It was a wedding done after consulting parents and getting their blessings"

"Ok. So you are saying Rama did not love Sita?"

"Love trivializes the topic. Rama included Sita's three dimensions of life as his own because the wedding mandated that"

"Very well. Onward then"

"14 years Vanavaas. Rama requested Sita to stay back as she is not obligated to follow Dasaratha's word. Sita debated and won on her point that it is her duty to adopt Rama's three dimensions too"

"Ok"

"Golden deer. Rama probably knew very well that a deer like that can only be a trick. Remember he is trained to deal with demons by Viswamitra and fought against them all through his life. So it must have been clear to him. Nevertheless he went after the deer because it was Sita's Vidhi that she was adamant and it was Rama's Vidhi too, therefore"

"I have a feeling you are going to trick me here"

"Not intentionally :). Now comes the war. Rama fought the war and won it. Many of his army and Ravana's army died for no reason as is the case with any war"

"So?"

"Now Rama makes it clear that this great war is not so because one man can happily live ever after with his beautiful wife. It was about the path of Dharma. Everybody's Vidhi ensured that the war happened"

"So?"

"So the first thing was to clear the air about Rama's intent. When Sita came to him after the war, it was exactly like a bride. Not like the prisoner she was until recently. Rama then offered her a choice of being with him or choosing a different life. That is because Rama was concerned that Sita might have developed other ideas about Rama as a capable husband, who could take care of her, during her one year imprisonment"

"Hmm..ok. So Rama was making a point that the object of 'his' war was not his desire for Sita"

"Exactly. When Rama made that offer to Sita, he was willing to let go of someone who was dear to his heart. Because he had to follow Vairagyam as part of his Dharma. He also knew that whatever happens it's impact on his pursuit of Paramatma is the same. Vivekam."

"Ok. Go on"

"Now it is Sita's choice. Rama did not cast doubt on her character. He allowed her the freedom of choice. A point the feminists of today ignore or hide"

"Why the pyre? Why the test of fire?"

"Sita was as learned as Rama. If the wedding was Agni Sakshi, then this choice also should be Agni Sakshi. She calls for the pyre. Not Rama. She enters the pyre confident of her choice. She comes out of it harmless because, well, Agni had a role to play in the scheme of things"

"Sita could have died"

"Please do not think of fire as they do in the modern times. I am sure a certain level of yogic capabilities would have made Agni harmless in those days. But yes, if Sita had any other intent of living with another man, she wouldn't have called for this test. If she had called for the test, then she knew the result already. So lying and living with Rama would have been a torture as most modern day marriages are. Same as burning in fire. Sita had that Vivekam"

"Hmmmm.. I see it all now. The three dimensions make sense"

" It basically proved to the world that Rama did not start a war just so he could get back his wife. Rama exhibited all three dimensions of Vidhiyuktam, Vivekam and Vairagyam. So did Sita"

"Wow. I will need some time to think through and grasp this. Makes sense now though. One more point remains. Why did, at a later point in time, Rama send a pregnant Sita to the jungle?"

"That's part of Uttara Kaanda and there are questions if it has been part of original Ramayana. However, since you are anyways going to ponder, I will leave you with a question - Why did Rama send a pregnant Sita to jungle? Why not to her father's place? - think about it and you will get the answer yourself"

"Aahh.. come on. You are just playing"

"I am just making you think more about Rama. It will help"

"Great mate. This is good. Really. I might even end up becoming a Bhakt"

"Ram Ram"