How could Ram, regarded the best among all men publicly humiliate his wife in the name of ‘Dharma’? How could Seeta the daughter of the great Janak accept this humiliation? and I embarked on a journey looking for Seeta.
....when he handed her to the Queen he is reported to have
asked her to hold Janaki or the daughter of Janak. Thus I began my journey on this earth.
…marriage
was the ‘ultimate’ milestone of our lives. Marriage and wedding were synonymous
to us. I realised later it was around the ‘wedding’ that we had built our
dreams. Marriage I discovered…..
…the tinkling of the bells on my
anklets must have caught the attention of princes and one of them turned
around.
…my
father spoke at length on Dharma. “Knowledge of Dharma is not
merely the knowledge of values……. Do not arrogate to yourself
the idea that you with your own judgment can assess the truth……
Each
of them told us their sons’ likes and dislikes with regard to food. I wondered
who would tell our husbands what we girls liked, - or was that not important?
….it was not your husband who said those words; it was
the King of Kosala. Never forget that what the Raghu Race does will be cited as
classic norms by folks in all ages to come.
..“As
for your purpose in life, Seeta, we come into this life alone and we depart
alone….
…..I
felt my little one kick me in the stomach and then I felt another kick; it was
different from the first……
I
was sure I wanted them to grow up as Kshatriyas and to be equipped to take on
their role as Kings. Their mother would protect their rights and not accept a
slice of the cake for them – the entire cake was theirs.
Rishi
Valmiki seemed to be expecting me, “Come Seeta”, was all he said
Surely
this is Seeta’s son, thought Ram – the unmistakable spark- only Seeta’s off
spring could have it.
