Sita ki Agnipareeksha

Ravan Lanka ki yuddhbhoomi mein mrit pade the, aur lamba yuddh samaapt ho gaya tha. Rakshason ne aatmasamarpan kar diya tha, aur Lanka ke naye raja Vibheeshan haath jodkar Ram ke paas aaye. Ram ne sabse pehle Sita ko maanga. Vah kai lambe maheenon se Ashok Vatika mein bandi thin, bhayankar rakshasiyon ki pehredari mein, dukh aur bhay sehti huin phir bhi kabhi jhuki nahin. Ab ant mein vah mukt thin. Vibheeshan ne unhe poorn shaahi sammaan ke saath paalki mein, snaan aur shringaar karke laane ke liye apne sevak bheje. Lekin jab Sita aayeen, apne pati ke charnon mein girne ko aatur, to unhone Ram ka chehra kathor aur door paaya. Punarmilan ka aanand jiska unhone apni bandi ke maheenon mein sapna dekha tha, kaheen nahin dikha. Ram ne kathor shabd kahe jo unke hriday ko baanon ki tarah bedh gaye. Unhone kaha ki unhone yuddh keval unke liye nahin, balki apne kuleen vansh par lage kalank ko dhone ke liye lada tha. Unhone kaha ki jo stree doosre purush ke ghar rahi ho use wapas nahin liya ja sakta, kyonki sansaar sada us par sandeh karega. Unhone usse kaha ki vah jahaan chaahe ja sakti hai, Lakshman ke paas, Bharat ke paas, Vibheeshan ke paas, ya kisi bhi kuleen purush ke paas jise vah chune. Kroor shabd ikatthe yoddhaon par vajr ki tarah gire. Lakshman ki aankhen krodh ke aansuon se bhar gayeen. Vaanaron ne sir jhuka diye, jo suna us par vishvaas na kar sake. Sita lambe kshan tak maun khadi raheen, unka chehra peela tha lekin aankhen sthir thin. Phir vah boleen, unki aawaaz shaant aur spasht thi. Unhone Ram se kaha ki vah aise bol rahe hain jaise vah koi saadhaaran stree hon, lekin vah unka hriday jaante hain. Unhone unhe yaad dilaaya ki unhe balpoorvak har liya gaya tha, ki vah kabhi svechchha se nahin gayi thin, aur apni samast bandi mein unka man ek kshan ke liye bhi unse nahin diga tha. Unhone kaha ki yadi unhe un par sandeh hai, to vah apni pavitrata sabse bhayankar tareeke se siddh karengi. Lakshman ki or mudkar unhone ek badi chita banaane ko kaha. Lakshman ne Ram ki or dekha, aasha karte hue ki unke bhai is paagalpan ko rokenge, lekin Ram maun aur adig khade rahe. Bhaari hriday se Lakshman ne chita banaayi, lakdi oonchi lagaayi aur aag laga di. Jwalaayein aakaash ki or utheen, garajti aur bhayankar. Sita dheere-dheere agni ki or badheen. Unhone haath jode aur Agni dev se prarthana ki, unse raksha maangi yadi vah vichaar, vaani aur karm se Ram ke prati sachchi rahi hon. Phir dekhne walon ke bhay ke beech vah jwalaon mein pravesh kar gayeen. Vaanar sena se vedna ki cheekh uthi. Lekin agni ne unhe nahin jalaaya. Jwalaayein unke chaaron or thande jal ki tarah hat gayeen, aur vah unke bheetar shaant aur akshat baitheen, bhor ki tarah tejasvi. Phir har aankh ke saamne ek chamatkaar hua. Agni dev swayam jwalaon se uthe, Sita ko apni bhujaon mein liye, ek chingaari se bhi achhooti, unke vastra aur aabhooshan chamakte hue. Unhone unhe Ram ke saamne rakha aur swarg ko hila dene wali aawaaz mein ghoshna ki ki Sita pavitra hain, ki vah vichaar ya karm mein kabhi nahin digeen, aur Ram ko bina sandeh unhe wapas lena chaahiye. Usi kshan swarg khul gaya. Brahma ke netritva mein devta utre, aur raja Dasharath bhi divya lokon se chamakte rath mein apne putron ko aashirvaad dene aaye. Brahma ne Ram ko mahaan rahasya bataaya, ki vah swayam Vishnu hain, Ravan ka sanhaar karne ke liye dharti par aaye, aur Sita Lakshmi hain, unki shaashvat patni. Ram ka kathor mukhauta pighal gaya. Unhone Sita ke haath apne haathon mein liye aur satya sveekaar kiya. Unhone kaha ki unhone ek kshan ke liye bhi un par sandeh nahin kiya tha, lekin sansaar ko pramaan chaahiye tha, kyonki raja ki patni samast sandeh se oopar honi chaahiye. Unhone kaha ki agnipareeksha unke liye nahin, balki praja ke liye thi, taaki koi bhi kabhi unke sammaan par prashn na uthaaye. Sita ne unhe aanand ke aansuon ke saath kshama kar diya, aur donon ant mein punarmil gaye. Devtaon ne phool barsaye, swarg ke nagaade baje, aur vishaal sabha ka har hriday aanand se bhar gaya. Agnipareeksha ne vah siddh kar diya tha jo sachcha prem pehle se jaanta tha, ki Sita ki pavitrata jwaala se bhi ujjwal hai.