Why did Rāma ask Sītā to go through the agni-parīkṣā?

the tellings differ and devotees still wrestle with it; Sītā's dignity is the heart of every version.

This is one of the most painful moments in the tradition, and it is right to feel its weight. In Vālmīki's Yuddha Kāṇḍa, after Rāvaṇa's defeat, Rāma speaks harshly to Sītā in public. She answers with great dignity, defends her purity, and enters the fire. Agni himself returns her unharmed and declares her innocence, and Rāma then says he never doubted her but needed the world to see her purity.

Other tellings soften or reshape it. In Tulsīdās's Rāmcaritmānas and the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa, the real Sītā was placed in Agni's care before the abduction, and the fire ordeal simply brings her back. Many poets, including women such as the Bengali poet Candrāvatī, told the story from Sītā's side and honoured her suffering.

Devotees hold different views, and honest discomfort is not disrespect. Most traditions agree on one thing: Sītā is the true hero here, steadfast and unbroken.

Source: Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha Kāṇḍa; Rāmcaritmānas

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