The Ramayana is one of the oldest scriptures in the world. Written before the Mahabharata, historians estimate its age to be around 5000 BC. The story of the Ramayana is the story of God Rama and his battle with the evil Ravana, the king of Sri Lanka. The book is written in verse and tells countless stories culminating in a great battle between Rama and Ravana. The bone of contention was Rama’s beautiful wife. Her name was Sita and she was a woman of unparalleled beauty. Ravana had heard of her beauty and desired her. He took the form of a brahmin and lured Sita out of her abode and brought her to Lanka.
Archaeologists have now concluded that Ravana probably took Sita to his palace in Central Lanka.
Therefore, there is little doubt that Rama existed and so did Sita. There is also not an iota of doubt that Ravana kidnapped Sita for her pleasure.
Sita in Ravana’s captivity
When Ravana kidnapped Sita, he took her to his palace in central Lanka. The epic records that Ravana sent her gifts and flowers daily to win her love. Sita is supposed to have been in Ravana’s custody for over a year. The epic relates that Sita rejected Ravana’s advances and gifts and perhaps this is true.
The Genesis of Ravana’s Desire for Sita
There are many variations of the Ramayana. One story says that Ravana had gone for Sita’s Swayamwara but had to leave when he found out that his sister had been kidnapped. He left the swayamwara and returned only to find that his sister was fine. When he returned, the swayamwara was over and Lord Rama had conquered Sita. Ravana always desired Sita ever since.
Another tale tells that the beauty of Sita came to Ravana and, being a lustful man, he wished to have Sita as his lover and wife and made the elaborate ruse to kidnap her. The fact is that Ravana kidnapped Sita and took her to her palace. This is not denied in scripture.
Ravana as a man
Ravana was a man who had attained great spiritual power. He was a worshiper of Lord Shiva and it was said that he had the power to make the sun rise or set at his will. He was also the ruler of the 3 worlds and was a very educated and learned man.
Ravana had 3 wives and was by all accounts a lecherous man. It seems inconceivable that given Ravana’s desire for Sita, he just sat passively waiting for Sita to accept him. We must not forget that he was a great and powerful king and many women pleased his taste.
How strong was Ravana’s love for Sita?
When Ravana kidnapped Sita, he wanted to make her his queen. But Sita was not willing and at the same time he was not willing to let her go back to Rama. Her lust for her was overwhelming. One cannot categorize Ravana’s desire for Sita as love, it was probably lust. But he was consumed with it and even when Rama had declared war, he refused his brother’s advice to return Sita and stop the war.
Rama did not keep Sita as a sister in his palace
When Rama won the war and Ravana was killed, the Lord was aware of the true state of affairs. He therefore he commanded. trial by fire for Sita to prove his chastity. This seems to be an extrapolation in the epic to accommodate the popular notion that Sita was pure and that Ravana had never entered her body. Considering the nature of Ravana and the fact that Sita was in her captivity, the possibility that Ravana at some point forced Sita seems like a distinct possibility.
The Agnipariksha (trial by fire) that Rama ordered Sita to prove her chastity was a ruse to convince his followers that Sita was chaste and that Sita never had intercourse with Ravana.
last word
It is understandable that the Epic does not stop at the relationship between Ravana and Sita. This is now in the realm of conjecture as nothing can be proven from an event that took place 5000 years ago.
