Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 119, Shloka 8
सीताया अग्निप्रवेशः
Sita’s Ordeal by Fire / Agni-Pariksha
यदहंगात्रसम्पर्शंगतास्मिविशवाप्रभो ।कामकारो न मेतत्रदैवंतत्रापराध्यति ।।।।
yad ahaṃ gātra-samparśaṃ gatāsmi vivaśā prabho | kāmakāro na me tatra daivaṃ tatrāparādhyati ||
主よ、もし他者の肢体の触れを受けたとしても、私は抗えぬまま無力でした。そこに私の選択の自由はなく、咎むべきは天命と強圧であって、私ではありません。
"O Lord! I was helpless when Ravana contacted my limbs in the past. I was not acting according to my will. My fate is to be blamed and not me."
FAQs
Moral responsibility depends on intention and agency: coercion does not create guilt; dharma rejects blaming the powerless for violence done to them.
Sītā addresses the implication that physical contact during captivity implies consent, clarifying her helplessness under Rāvaṇa’s power.
Truthful testimony and moral precision—Sītā distinguishes bodily violation from inner consent and fidelity.