Shloka 23
सीताया अग्निप्रवेशः
Sita’s Ordeal by Fire / Agni-Pariksha
अधोमुखंस्थितंरामंततःकृत्वाप्रदक्षिणम् ।उपावर्ततवैदेहीदीप्यमानंहुताशनम् ।।।।
adhomukhaṃ sthitaṃ rāmaṃ tataḥ kṛtvā pradakṣiṇam | upāvartata vaidehī dīpyamānaṃ hutāśanam || 6.119.23 ||
Kemudian Vaidehī, dengan wajah tertunduk berdiri di hadapan Rāma, setelah mengelilinginya menurut adat pradakṣiṇa, berpaling menuju api yang menyala-nyala.
Thereafter, Vaidehi, walking clockwise near Rama went round him in accordance with tradition and approached the pyre.
FAQs
Dharma is expressed through maryādā (proper conduct): even amid crisis, Sītā follows respectful ritual gestures (pradakṣiṇā) before entering the truth-test.
Sītā performs a formal circumambulation of Rāma and then moves toward the fire, marking the immediate commencement of the ordeal.
Sītā’s composure and adherence to propriety under extreme pressure.