Great response from Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to question which stated that Rama did not treat Sita well
Last updated on 1st Jan 2018
My apologies to any ladies (and men) who get upset with my full support and admiration for Sadhguruji's answer in this video which puts Rama's treatment of Sita in the correct light, https://www.facebook.com/NaMoTrueIndian/videos/735169933342333/, dated 25th Dec. 2017. Video is around 3 minutes.
Sadhguru turns the question on the head by turning to the audience which seems to be women mainly and asks if they were living 5000 years ago in Uttar Pradesh and a Sri Lankan man had kidnapped them and taken them to Sri Lanka, would they prefer a husband who would walk all the way down to Sri Lanka and rescue them or somebody who found "a practical solution locally (as) anyway he was king"! [To Sri Lankan readers and friends: Please do not take any offence at the reference. It is not meant as anything to do with current day Sri Lankans and even many other good people in Ravana's Sri Lanka days, as per Ramayana epic.]
He also says that the Agni Pariksha should not be taken literally but that as King, Rama had to subject Sita to some test, to be an ideal king for his subjects. "Of course, because he was the king. Everybody is looking at you as the ideal. How you behave, what you do is very important because the entire nation's life depends on you."
And it was a similar situation due to which he had to send Sita to the forest when she was pregnant with their sons. "For a king, his sons are important. Because it is an empire. But inspite of that he sends her to the jungle because otherwise there is disruption in the country. You are saying this is a negative thing! I think we need such prime ministers and leaders in this country - no matter what, for the well being of the nation they will do what is needed."
I (Ravi) commented on the post as follows:
Fantastic answer by Sadhguruji! Hats off!
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Given below is a mail exchange between a correspondent (who was OK with public sharing) and me (slightly edited):
Correspondent (C) wrote: Excellent answer by Sadguruji! If I remember correctly, there was a similar explanation given in one of the Swadhyay [Ravi: A spiritual group/movement] pravachans [Ravi: discourses] as well, where it was said that the king Rama gave up queen Sita; and not the husband Rama gave up wife Sita! Per the original Ramayan epic authored by sage Valmiki, Rama had said to Sita that he had absolutely no doubt about her, and didn't believe in whatever the fisherman [Ravi: I think it was a washerman] or a few other people in the town were saying/questioning; however, a king must always be above any doubts raised by his subjects.
Had the husband Rama given up wife Sita, then he could have got re-married (as legally/constitutionally was permitted by the prevailing social/religious laws governing a king) and performed the yagna, in which husband and wife both were supposed to participate together as a couple. Instead, he refused to remarry, and he performed the yagna sitting by the side of Sita's idol. What an ideal!
The Rama as an avatar needed to demonstrate, in that era, that for a king, his subjects are priority than his own family members! Even when it comes to putting his own family members to some severe tests, he should not hesitate in doing so.
Epic of Ramayan demonstrates some of the highest ideals, we don't find any parallel in the history of any documented cultures of the world!
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I (Ravi) wrote:
Interesting!
Few points:
1) Rama could have married a second wife even when Sita was his wife, as per prevailing norms then, especially for kings. Note that Rama's father King Dasharatha had three wives. But Rama, I have read, had taken an Ekapathni vrata (one wife vow) and so perhaps was not willing to marry again.
2) Rama sending away wife and queen Sita to the forest in reality meant that Sita was being sent to the protection of Rishi Valmiki in his ashram. Valmiki would have taken great care of her, and after her twin sons, Lava-Kusha, were born, became a teacher for them.
3) The idol of Sita being used during the Yagna seems to me to signify that Rama continued to be married to Sita even though, due to kingly obligations, he had to send her away to Rishi Valmiki's ashram.
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C wrote:
Additionally, I also remember being mentioned in the pravachans that, sage Valmiki and Ved Vyas were true historians, who documented the events of the respective era "as it is", without any deliberate twisting of facts, or intentional misreporting!
Sita herself never complained of Rama's decisions of sending her to forest, or putting her to severe tests. She wholeheartedly supported her husband and king Rama and willingly accepted such decisions every step of the life. They had true oneness with each other. It is only today's so called modern and so called educated Sarla-Vimla-Kamla, who acts as the spokespersons for Sita, in Sita's absence, and accuse Rama of injustice meted out to Sita. Sita never complained, as she didn't have complaints!
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