Week 7 Storytelling: Sita's Innocence

Rama, covered in blood and sweat, slowly walked over to where his beloved Sita lie in wait. Rama had just defeated the mighty demon Ravana, all to rescue Sita away from his clutches. You would think that after such an epic battle, Rama would just want to hug Sita and ask her if she was okay, but no. Rama just walked up to Sita and looked her up and down, as if she was tainted by something. Sita looked back at Rama with a confused look on her face.

“What is wrong, my love?” she asked Rama in a worried voice.

Rama seemed to be acting very odd towards her and she did not like it one bit. She looked him in the eyes, searching for an answer. She could figure out nothing from his blank expression. Rama still just stood there, looking at her carefully as if he was observing a specimen in the lab.

“How can I be so sure that you and Ravana didn’t….,” Rama began to say but he couldn't even finish speaking.

Sita felt like a dagger had pierced her heart. Her insides were screaming in disbelief. Her heart shattered at the thought that Rama didn’t trust her anymore. Still, Sita kept her calm and replied confidently.

“I have not done anything that will jeopardize our love for each other. I was simply a hostage in a demon’s territory. A demon who was infatuated by my beauty. I only love you, Rama, and I would dare not to mess around with another man or let another man take advantage of me!” exclaimed Sita.

Rama still did not seem convinced. He paced back and forth, mulling over the situation in his head. He knew Sita loved him and that she would never do anything or let anything like that happen to her. But then again, Ravana was the type of demon to force himself upon others without a second thought. His stomach turned as an image flashed before his eyes. His knees started to feel weak so he sat down, disgusted with himself. Sita was not that type of woman. Still…he was not assured. At that moment, the fire god, Agni, appeared next to Sita.

“If you are innocent, my child, step into the flames. Nothing will happen to you if you tell the truth,” roared Agni.

Sita glanced over at Rama, immersed in his own inner battle with himself. She knew she had to convince him that nothing had happened. Without any hesitation, Sita walked up into the flames and was immediately engulfed in a fiery whirl of red and orange. She didn’t even seem fazed about walking into a roaring trial by fire. Rama snapped out of his thoughts and watched, his jaws clenched, hoping that Sita was right. As the flames died down, Sita was still standing where Agni had been, unharmed by the scorching fire. Rama ran up to Sita and embraced her, joyous at the fact that she was still pure and faithful to him.

Sita's trial by fire to prove her innocence; Web Source 

Author's Note: I thought this was an interesting part of the Ramayana, partly because I didn't expect Rama to question Sita's innocence. When reading this part in the book, I expected Rama to be happy to see Sita and embrace her right away. Obviously, that’s not what occurred. I thought it would be a good story to retell because I wanted to depict both character's thoughts and feelings to an extent. This also occurs immediately after the death of Ravana so it adds an extra element of intensity to the setting. Buck tells this story one way, while Narayan tells it another way. My way ended up being very different from either of them because I added so much of Rama and Sita's inner thoughts.

I didn’t really change the story much. I just added extra details to convey Rama’s and Sita’s thoughts and feelings of the situation at hand. I wish I could’ve thought of a better way to describe Agni. I just couldn’t find the right words to portray my image of him.

I chose the picture because it gave a visual representation of Sita's trial by fire. She seems so calm in the picture, as if she has nothing to worry about. Even if I wasn’t guilty, I would still be a tiny bit nervous of stepping into a fire. Her unwavering love and loyalty to Rama helped her brave the trial without a doubt of being burnt. She left the fire unscathed and regained Rama's trust.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.