“I shall go with you today to the forest. There is no doubt about it. I cannot be prevented, O greatly fortunate one. I am ready to go.” (Sita Devi speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 27.15)

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सह त्वया गमिश्यामि वनमद्य न सम्शयः
नाहम् शक्या महाभाग निवर्तयितुम् उद्यता

saha tvayā gamiśyāmi vanamadya na samśayaḥ
nāham śakyā mahābhāga nivartayitum udyatā

The visceral response resembles the concept of Dracula being shown the cross. The resistance is fierce. The words of protest are vehement. All you did was reference how wonderful it is that Shri Rama has a wife like Sita Devi. The two are a match made in heaven. Everything about the union was divine. There was the ideal narrative, in the premise of a contest of strength, from the moment of doubt over the outcome to the swift delivery of victory, for the groom that every good and decent person wanted all along. But for some reason, in the modern day any reference to that beloved daughter of King Janaka creates hostility on the side of the recipients.

They might share objections along the following lines:

“Yeah, that is what you men want, isn’t it? A submissive and quiet wife, to dutifully honor and obey. Well, those days are long gone, pal. Women do not have to put up with that nonsense anymore. It is an equal partnership, now. Actually, the husband should do more, just to make up for the centuries’ worth of disparity. We have a voice. We are empowered. We have a say. We are under no obligation to listen to the men. We fought for our independence and we now have it. We are not about to give it up. We will not go back to the old days, where only men were allowed to flourish in society.”

The truth is that the references to Sita and Rama, at least in Vaishnava circles, are for the purpose of devotion. Worship of the source of everything. He is both anadi and ananta. He is without a beginning, and there is no end to His glories and existence. There is both a male side and a female side to Divinity. The two work together. They are equal in the big picture, when viewed as a complete set, but different in how they behave. The male side is the energetic. The female side is the energy.

Indeed, there is always much to learn from the movements and characteristics, charitra, of the avatara. When both male and female descend to the mortal world, they lead by example. Sita Devi is the ideal wife. Shri Rama is the ideal husband. To get an idea of why a person might draw inspiration from Sita, we relay the following hypothetical account. In this scene, you are an employee at a large firm. The deadline looms for completion of the most recent project. You are almost at the finish line, but there is one piece left.

The problem is that you need outside assistance. The final task involves another division within the company. You receive contact information and then reach out. This person you contact does not respond. You try again. Over a messaging system. Through email. They even fail to pick up a phone call. You eventually get through to them, but they are still slow to assist. They drag their feet. They do not show any eagerness. It makes sense from one side of things, where you understand they have little to gain from the effort. It is not their project, after all.

Your managers are on your case about this remaining task. They decide to hold a meeting. They escalate the issue to the higher ups. This time, that person who was slow to help jumps on the call immediately. Their own manager is there. This person even turns on their camera for the meeting. It is like they have transformed into a new person. They are helpful and alert. They promise to give one hundred percent effort to see this initiative over the finish line.

In returning to the original issue, if the female chooses to be inimical towards their spouse, the same approach might not work in the real world. In other words, the submissiveness they so vehemently protest might have to be instituted at the work place, regardless. They might have to rise to the occasion, remain alert, and accept orders from officers within a corporation. If they are willing to do so at the office, why not at home? What is to be gained in being difficult? Of course, the men should not exploit. The husbands should be caring, loving, and attentive. They should provide and protect to the best of their abilities.

Someone like Sita Devi looks only to please her husband. Her devotion is without expectation of reward. She lives up to the dharma of the situation, but her real reason for living is love. No person can remove that from her. Her love is so strong that it not only wins over her husband, but He actually becomes helpless. He has no choice but to give in to her insistence on service. Only in bhakti-yoga can this reversal take place.

माम् उपेत्य पुनर् जन्म
दुःखालयम् अशाश्वतम्
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः
संसिद्धिं परमां गताः

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.15)

To reference the daughter of King Janaka is to look for inspiration, strength, and resolve in the ultimate mission of every living being, in uniting with God in yoga and never looking back at the material world, which is temporary and miserable.

In Closing:

Despite my predicament to know,
In responding unreliable and slow.

Like constantly dragging their feet,
Until with superiors to meet.

The escalation a spark to light,
But at home constantly to fight.

Better on inspiration of Sita to lean,
For how spiritual world finally seen.

Categories: stories

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana, sita