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had committed. And Hindus worship him because he obeyed his father: obedience to tradition, to your father, to your forefathers; obedience to the past, obedience to the dead.
Rama's wife, Sita, followed him, because in India a woman is thought to be a true, authentic woman if she simply becomes a shadow to her husband, with no soul of her own. She followed like a shadow, but was stolen from the forest by another king, Ravana. For three years Rama had to fight, collect his friends, sympathizers, and fight with Ravana to take his wife back. He recovered his wife.
But the words he said to her are so ugly that I cannot conceive that a human being with any sense of dignity will utter such words. He said, "Listen, woman. Don't get this idea in your head that I have been fighting for you. It was a question of my prestige. I can get thousands of women like you, and before I can accept you, you will have to pass through a fire test. You will have to pass through fire. If you can come through it alive, I will know that you are pure, that you have not deceived me, that you have not cheated me. If you don't come out alive, it is settled."
Now, it is strange; it seems there are double standards. If Sita was to take this fire test, then he should have also gone through the fire test. For three years he was also alone, living with thousands of other people. What is the guarantee of his character, his morality, his purity? No, it is a man's world. Man can ask the woman about her character, but the woman cannot ask.
The story is: Sita passed the fire test, came out of it alive. Still, when they came back home there was great suspicion in the kingdom: for three years Rama's wife had remained in the palace of Ravana, and Rama has accepted her back. He knows perfectly; she has even taken the fire test, which is absolutely unscientific....
You can try and you can find out. Two plus two are four. You say two plus two are four; you are saying a truth -- then put your hand in the fire. Is your statement true or false? It will be decided. Fire will decide it -- whether two plus two make four, or five, or six. And if you are burned then two plus two are
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