The Ramayana, the adikavya—the first epic of Indians—as Aurobindo observed,
is an epic that has “fashioned much of what is best and sweetest in the national
character” of India. This celebrated work is revered as “vedā
prach etasadas i t .
' sakshad ramayanatmana ”—a poetic version of Vedic vision. “There can be no better textbook of morals [than Valmiki’s Ramayana] which can be safely placed in the hands of youth to inspire them to higher and nobler ideals of conduct and character”, said Srinivasan Iyengar.1 In line with this observation, Rama, the hero of the epic is perceived not only as the exemplar for all living and dutiful sons, but also the ideal husband and king, while Sita the heroine as the noblest flower of Indian womanhood, devoted to her lord in thought, word and deed.
Driven by this understanding of Ramayana and its main characters, Hindus, traditionally, revere Sita as the role model of womanhood. But feminists of today challenge this proposition on two counts: one, they consider her character as an illustration of the subjugation of women in Hindu culture; and two, they feel that upholding Sita as a role model is tantamount to endorsing male supremacy and female subservience. Indeed, some feminists have even argued that “Sita Syndrome” breeds domestic violence in India. |
