379. Agni comes out of the pyre carrying Seetha.

          Everyone noticed that something was happening in the burning pyre.  All were amazed to see that Agni was coming up from the pyre taking Seetha in his arms. 

           Bearing in his arms the youthful Seetha, who was shining brightly as the rising sun, decked in ornaments of refined gold, attired in a red robe and wearing dark curly hair,  was further adorned with ornaments of flowers, which were not on her when entering the fire. She looked absolutely beyond reproach and was beheld just the same as she did while entering the fire. Agni  restored her to Rama saying "Here is your Seetha. No sin exists in her. This auspicious lady, whose character has been absolutely and unquestionably good, has never been unfaithful to you either by word or by mind or even by intellect or by her glances. This miserable and helpless lady was taken away by Ravana the rakshash, who was arrogant of his valour, from the hermitage when she was alone without any protection.
         "This Seetha, who was fixing her mind upon you and only you and looking on you as her final attainment, was detained in the Ashoka vana, here. She was, however, guarded by rightful rakshasshis. Seetha, whose mind was thinking about you and only you, totally and absolutely ignoring that rakshash even though allured and frightened through various means. Take back Seetha, who is sinless and with a pure character. She should not be told anything harsh. I hereby command you."

            Rama, on hearing Agni smiled while his eyes were  filed with tears of joy. He told Agni  "Seetha certainly deserves this purificatory  ordeal to prove beyond any doubt in the eyes of the commoners as well as others as she had resided for a long time under the captivity of Ravana. I wanted all the worlds to know that despite the fact Seetha was held in captivity by that rakshash Ravana, her mind was on me and only me. Otherwise, people may chatter against me, saying that Rama, the son of Dasaratha, was really foolish and that his mind was dominated by lust, if I accept Seetha without proving her chastity to the whole world.

      "In fact, I knew beyond any reasonable doubt that Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, who ever revolves in my mind, was undivided in her affection to me. Ravana could not violate this wide-eyed woman, protected as she was by her own mental endowments, any more than an ocean would transgress its bounds.

   "In order to convince the three worlds, I, whose staunch adherence is truth, professed to ignore Seetha while she was entering the fire. The evil-minded Ravana would not be able to lay his violent hands, even in thoughts or dreams, on the redoubtable Seetha, who was blazing like a flaming tongue of fire.

       "This auspicious woman could not be tempted to give way to the sovereignty, existing in the gynaecium of Ravana. I am well aware that this Seetha is not different from me, just like the sunlight is not different from the sun. Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, is now established beyond any reasonable doubt, is absolutely pure in her character and can no longer be renounced by me, as a good name cannot be cast aside by a prudent man. The salutary advice of all of you, the affectionate guardians of the world, who are saying what is conducive to our good, shall certainly be carried out by me."

     Saying thus and getting reunited with her beloved Seetha, the victorious and highly illustrious Rama, a scion of Raghu dynasty, who was endowed with a great strength and deserved happiness and was being glorified by his exploits performed by his own self, experienced joy.

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