Sitayana: An Analysis of Nandini Sahu's Sita: A Poem

Abstract

The poem titled "Sita: A Poem" by Nandini Sahu revisits the Hindu epic Ramayana from the perspective of Sita. Sita is the narrator of the epic poem. It is based on the eponymous character's life which is marked by movement from place to place. Hence, the study is titled Sitayana which means "Movement/Journey of Sita”. She exiles herself willingly to accompany her husband to the forest at first to perform her duty towards him. Her next exile is imposed on her by the same husband for whom she had sacrificed the pleasures of the palace. She is abducted and it is her abduction and stay in the Ashoka Vatika for a year that entails her first trial-by-fire which she stands successfully. But an allegation by a washer man drives a wedge between "the soul and the absolute", i.e., between the divine incarnations of Vishnu and Lakshmi (Rama and Sita). The present paper is an attempt to analyse the story of the Ramayana from the point of view of Sita whose unblemished chastity and absolute loyalty towards Rama earns the applause of all, while Rama's rejection of hers tarnishes his image as a Maryada Purushottam. The study takes into account how Sita undergoes all the trials and tribulations of life while remaining resolute and faithful to the one who doubts her chastity. The paper endeavours to highlight that Sita is not only a mythical character but also an ordinary woman with a delicate heart that aches when she is subjected to humiliation time and again. Sita’s invocation of the Mother Earth to take her back is a message for women to choose liberation and salvation when the pain of humiliation seems unbearable and unending.