Shloka 7
सीताया अग्निप्रवेशः
Sita’s Ordeal by Fire / Agni-Pariksha
पृथकस्त्रीणांप्रचारेणजातिंत्वंपरिशङ्कसे ।परित्यजैनांशङ्कांतुयदितेऽहंपरीक्षिता ।।।।
pṛthak strīṇāṃ pracāreṇa jātiṃ tvaṃ pariśaṅkase | parityajaināṃ śaṅkāṃ tu yadi te 'haṃ parīkṣitā ||
Karena tingkah laku sebagian perempuan, engkau mencurigai seluruh kaum wanita. Tinggalkanlah keraguan itu, jika memang engkau telah mengujiku.
"You give up judging all womankind by the path followed by vulgar women. You give up these doubts if you have examined."
FAQs
Dharma demands nyāya (fair judgement): one should not condemn an entire group based on the wrongdoing of a few; truth requires case-by-case discernment.
Sītā challenges the logic behind Rāma’s suspicion, pointing out the injustice of generalizing about all women.
Rational moral argument (viveka) and courage—Sītā argues for justice without surrendering her dignity.