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The Sita Who Smiles Wife as Goddess in the Adbhut Ramayana Ruth Vanita smiles in icons, this paradox perhaps a strong residual tendency to points to her dual status as woman identification remains, in such and Goddess. In this paper, I examine practices as the naming of children Sita’s smiles and laughter in the and in some rituals. In examining the Adbhut Ramayana, arguing that Adbhut Ramayan’s representation of while this text focuses on her Sita, I consider the ways in which her Goddess aspect, it simultaneously human womanhood functions in Prem Singh foregrounds the paradoxical conjunction with her divinity. dynamic inherent in the normative Shakta Rewriting of Sita n Ramlila performances in India human husband-wife relationship, The Adbhut Ramayana, and in most retellings of the Rama where the wife plays the role of composed in Sanskrit around the Istory, Sita is often depicted social subordinate even while acting fourteenth century, in North India, is shedding tears. These tears as an autonomous agent. Unlike the a Vaishnava Shakta text.4 By emblematize her virtue and her many Ramayanas wherein Sita’s representing Sita as simultaneously suffering, the one represented as agency consists primarily of her herself, the incarnation of Vishnu’s almost inseparable from the other. resistance to injustice, the Adbhut consort Lakshmi, and also as Kali and Emulating Sita as ideal woman and Ramayana presents Sita not as Parameshwari, thus inseparable from victim (whether suffering or ideal wife, many modern heroines in Shiva, the text attempts to reconcile resisting) but almost entirely as Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti, whose Indian cinema and fiction also weep 2 copiously.1 This stereotypical agent. worshipers at this time had divided weeping that characterizes the In the debate about whether into the three mainstream trends in virtuous woman is often seen as Goddess worship traditions empower Hinduism, still existing today. Shakti, stemming from some deep-rooted or disempower women or have no in a general sense, refers to female effect whatsoever on them, I agree Indian patriarchal misogynist power and thus to any Goddess; with those who argue that Hindu tradition. One may modify that view, however, in a more specific sense, Goddesses and women (like Hindu however, by pointing out, first, that Shakti is associated with Parvati’s Gods and men) are not seen as many forms and is thus linked with the modern convention derives as completely distinct entities, either in Shiva and his worshipers. The text much from a Victorian paradigm life or in texts, and that Goddess develops the idea of Vishnu’s consort (“Men must work and women must worship may and often does function Lakshmi, and her incarnation Sita, as weep”) as from a pre-modern Indian to empower women, although it does Shakti associated both with Vishnu one, and, second, that traditional not necessarily always function in and with Shiva. Thus, in chapter 24, Indian heroes, from Rama onwards, this way.3 the gods eulogize Sita as “Vaishnavi like pre-modern European heroes, also Sanskrit texts routinely refer to Shakti.”(24:5).5 weep a good deal. heroes as being like (iva) Gods in The Adbhut Ramayana In icons, however, Sita, like most general or a particular God, and to celebrates Sita and Rama but, like Gods and Goddesses, is represented heroines as being like Goddesses many Puranas, is heavily influenced, not weeping but smiling. The Gods’ (thus Damayanti in the Mahabharata structurally and philosophically, by ever-open eyes and calm smiles is repeatedly described as being like the Bhagavad Gita. Its adbhut indicate that they radiate light, bliss, the Goddesses Shachi and Lakshmi). (strange, unique) quality lies in the and beneficence. If Sita’s tears tend Although the gap between divine and way it recounts the glory of Sita and to predominate in narrative and her human widens in modern perception, writes a virtual Sita Gita into the story 32 MANUSHI of the Ramayana. This quality has that the glory of Sita has not so far chapter 15 with Hanuman’s eulogy of led commentators to read it primarily been narrated on earth. In the rest of Rama and his request that Rama take as a Shakta text, with Sita becoming the chapter, he eulogizes Sita as on his human form once again Kali. Prakriti and Shakti, creative principle (paralleling Arjuna’s eulogy and My argument, however, is that and cause of all causes request to Krishna in the Gita). Sita throught the text remains (sarvakarana karanam) (1:15). He The story of Rama’s exile and recognizably the Sita of the also praises Rama, saying that there years in the forest is entirely missing. Ramayana, even when she takes on is absolutely no difference between No details are given of Sita’s a Kali form. Hindu Gods and Rama and Sita. abduction or her residence in Lanka. Goddesses may take on many forms, The next seven chapters recount In chapter 16, Rama and his army even each other’s form, but this does the various reasons why Vishnu and defeat Ravana and rescue Sita. This not erase their identity. The way the Lakshmi were compelled to incarnate astonishing compression makes text shows Sita taking on the form of as Rama and Sita. Chapter eight is sense in context – Bharadvaja is not Mahadevi is not as surprising as the interested in a repetition of the way it reconfigures the ideal Valmiki Ramayana story, with which husband-wife relationship, by an everyone is familiar; he wants to hear ingenious combination of Vaishnava the parts that were supposedly left and Shakta paradigms. out of it. In the last chapter, Valmiki Some Bengali Ramayanas, such explains that for fear of repeating as Rammohan’s eighteenth-century himself he did not recount the whole Ramayana, imitate the Adbhut story (27:12). Ramayana in this respect, In chapter 17, when Rama returns recounting Sita’s exploits in the same triumphant from the war, the sages way. Bengal’s Shakta traditions praise him for having slain the ten- facilitate the process. Bengali headed Ravana, king of Lanka. Sita Ramayanas also rewrite women’s smiles in amusement when she hears roles in other ways. The idea of the this praise and, when questioned, female principle as autonomously remarks that the ten-headed Ravana productive, central to the story of was nothing compared to his twin Bhagiratha’s birth to two mothers, is brother, the thousand-headed also found in the Adbhut Ramayana’s Ravana, king of Pushkara Island, who account of Sita’s birth. is a much more powerful demon. Downplaying Sita’s Abduction Rama immediately utters a war cry Prem Singh The Adbhut Ramayana is and sets out to battle this new Ravana structured to shift the focus of the devoted to Sita’s birth (there is no whom he has never heard of before. story away from Rama’s exile, Sita’s parallel chapter on Rama’s birth). The This battle occupies five chapters and abduction, and Rama’s battle with next seven chapters are occupied by ends with the routing of Rama’s army. Ravana. These events, which are Rama’s glory. Rama displays his Ravana’s arrow pierces Rama and he central to most Ramayanas, occupy universal form to Parashurama and falls down in a faint, seemingly only one chapter (sarga) out of a total his four-armed form to Hanuman. In lifeless. of twenty-seven in the Adbhut three verses in chapter 10 we are Sita then gets aroused and Ramayana places these events in a briefly informed that “for some assumes her divine form as a terrible larger context, but here the context reason” (kenapi hetuna) (10:1) Rama, Goddess. She destroys hundreds of itself becomes the main story. Sita and Lakshmana went to the demons, severs all of Ravana’s In the first chapter, sage forest, from where Sita was abducted thousand heads with one stroke, and Bharadvaja asks Valmiki whether the by Ravana. Addressing Hanuman, proceeds to play with the heads like legend is true that he, Valmiki, Rama discourses at length on balls. At that moment, a thousand composed the Ramayana in a Sankhya Yoga, the Upanishads, and “mothers” or divine female beings hundred crore verses, of which only Bhakti. This portion of the text is spring out of the pores of her body. twenty five thousand appear in the modeled on the Bhagavad Gita, with The names of over two hundred of Valmiki Ramayana known on earth. many verses directly echoing famous these females (who, in a sense, are Valmiki says this is indeed true and verses from the Gita. It concludes in aspects of Sita) are catalogued, No.148 33 following the convention of As there is no description of Sita Indian women’s movement also tends recounting the names of a divinity. being abducted or residing in Lanka, towards the same type of focus. Their various forms are also we never see her weeping. The effect The Adbhut Ramayana develops described. of this is a complete shift of focus these neglected areas in its Sita, now in the form of Kali, away from Sita as victim. representation of Sita. It omits Rama’s performs a dance of destruction that Her victimization, however, is mistreatment of Sita, and represents terrifies the Gods, who try to mentioned in the sages’ praise of her as amused by the sages’ needless appease her with prayers but are able Rama in Chapter 17. The sages concern for her sufferings at the to do so only when they bring Rama perceive Sita as having suffered and hands of Ravana. Here termed back to life.

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