The Test of Fire

Sita, the daughter of earth, conceals herself before the Lila of the Lord begins in the forest. Ravana could not have come near her if she did not conceal herself and become powerless and weak. The first sign of this self-concealment is that she is lured by the unusual trick of the golden deer and refuses to listen to Rama’s counsel. She is abducted by the demon king and kept a captive in his kingdom where she spends her days remembering her Lord.

A great battle then ensues and she is released following the victory of Rama. She is all set to meet him but she must walk upon fire to prove her fitness before the reunion! Our modern mind naturally does not understand and revolts. But to one on the path of yoga the symbol is very clear. Sita or Nature is one, the Shakti or Power of the Lord, but conceals and diminishes Herself to become this earthly nature. Her Power is hidden from her own sight and therefore, she is lured by appearances, the golden deer.

The soul wanders in pursuit of this illusory goal, while in the process the demoniac or asuric forces are attracted to her and seek to possess her by force. Sita refuses to yield as all we must and even while in captivity spends her days remembering her Lord. A fierce battle is then waged in our nature between the forces of a higher Light and of Darkness. The Lord wins but there is still one more test that our fallen nature must pass so that it can ascend to a supernature and be one with its Lord. It is the test of inner purification, the test of our sole allegiance to the Lord and Master of our being, the test of our sincerity and faithfulness to the Supreme. Thus redeemed our nature and re-wedded to our Lord finds its supreme consummation.
 
Alok Pandey