As soon as Brahma finished saying these auspicious words, Agni came out of the fire carrying Sita. Rising up in a personal form, Agni picked up Sita and left the pyre. Sita was as brilliant as the newly risen sun. She was wearing ornaments of smelted gold and red garments. The locks of hair on Her head were tinged with blue. Even though She had entered the fire, Her attire was unaffected. Carrying the blameless Sita in his arms, Agni returned Her to Rama exactly as She was before.
Then the god of fire, the witness of the world, said to Rama: “Here is Your wife Sita. There is no sin in Her. This lovely woman of excellent conduct has never forsaken You by words, mind, intelligence or eyes. This forlorn yet chaste lady was abducted by the haughty Ravana while She was alone in the forest and unprotected in Your absence. Though detained in Ravana’s residential quarters and guarded by horrible rakshasis of wicked thoughts, She remained devoted to You with Her mind fixed on You. The Princess of Mithila never thought about that rakshasa, even when tempted and threatened in various ways, for Her mind was absorbed in thoughts of You. As such, accept the sinless Sita, for Her character is pure. I command You not to say anything further.”
The righteous Rama was pleased in mind to hear this. Thinking for a while, His eyes became flooded with tears of joy. Then the splendorous Rama, who was determined, a performer of great deeds, the foremost of the gods and chief upholder of righteousness, replied as follows: “Certainly Sita needed this purificatory ritual for the eyes of the world because She had been staying for a long time in Ravana’s private residence. People would say that I was indeed childish and lusty if I had not proven Her chastity. I also know Sita, the daughter of King Janaka, whose heart is solely attached to Me and whose mind always dwells on Me. In order to convince the three worlds of Her purity, I, the very foundation of truth, ignored Her even as She entered the fire. Ravana could not violate this broad-eyed lady, protected as She is by Her own potency, any more than the great ocean can surpass its shore. The wicked Ravana could not lay hands on Sita even in thought. She was inapproachable for him, like a blazing flame of fire. This chaste lady could not give way to weakness in Ravana’s personal residence, for She is no different from Me, as sunlight is to the sun. Sita, the daughter of King Janaka, is completely pure in all the three worlds. I could no more renounce Her than could a self-controlled person his fame. Surely I must obey the good advice given by you affectionate protectors of the word.”
After this, when the victorious and illustrious Rama was reunited with His beloved, He experienced joy while being praised for the activities He had performed.
Thus completes 118th Chapter of Yuddha Kanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, the work of a sage and the oldest epic.
Sriman Moola Rama Vijayate
