Sita stands before the fire, closing her eyes and folding her hands in devotion. It is the moment when her chastity will be proved to the entire world. She knew the truth and she hoped that Rama had the same trust in her that she had shown. But for the sake of proving it to the world, she was supposed to go through the Agnipariksha. She knew she would walk out safe through the Agni, for she was as pure as the fire itself. There was nothing for her to be afraid of. But this wasn’t the question. There was something else that was nagging her, taking away her peace of mind.
She opens her eyes and starts walking toward the fire, her stride confident. But her eyes bear an untold pain, which only Rama notices. There is a collective gasp from the crowd as Sita keeps one foot in the Agni. Every pair of eye watches her, unblinkingly, for they are witnessing one of the greatest moments in history. Would their Queen be safe? Would the King and Queen re-unite? Or would she prove unfit for the King? The questions are numerous. The whole town waits expectantly. It is as if time has paused for the moment.
Sita walks through the Agni without flinching. The flames lash at her body but they don’t harm her. She moves gracefully and comes out of the Agni, unscathed. She looks at the people who had pointed accusations at her, as if daring them to speak further. The crowd lets out a collective sigh of relief, unaware of the emotional turmoil going through her mind. Cheers are heard as the citizens rejoice the re-union of their King and Queen. Unaffected by all this, Sita walks ahead, without glancing at Rama. He had hurt her and he knew it. He follows her shortly.
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Sita was sitting by the tree, looking ahead but there was a distant look in her vision. “You know you have hurt me today”, she said as Rama placed his arm gently on her shoulder. “I wish you had faith in me”, she sighed, without looking at him.
“I do Sita”, he replied and sat by her. “But as a king, it was my duty to make sure the citizens didn’t behold any ill feeling towards their Queen. I had to fulfil their request” he said, expressing his helplessness.
“Would you have left me Rama, if that was what your citizens asked for?” asked Sita, her eyes moist. “It is not possible to please everyone. If you had confidently declared your belief in me, they would have eventually accepted the truth. But you have set a bad example to the world today by subjecting the relationship of husband and wife, a relation based on trust, to Agnipariksha, a public display, when there should have been no doubts in the first place”, she said and walked away before Rama could say anything.
He knew that she was right. But what he couldn’t explain to her was that despite his love for her and his complete trust in her, he was a King too; a helpless one this time. He couldn’t fail his citizens. What else could he have done? He looked up at the setting sun and prayed that Sita would understand his helplessness.
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