सीताशपथस्य निश्चयः

For many days Rāma listened to that supremely fine song, together with the sages, the kings and the monkeys. From the song itself he came to know that Kuśa and Lava were Sītā's sons, and he spoke in the midst of the assembly. After reflecting by himself, he summoned messengers of clean conduct whom he trusted and said: "Go from here to the holy Vālmīki and give him my message: if Sītā is pure in conduct and free of sin, let her, with the great sage's consent, prove her purity here. Learn the sage's wish and Sītā's own mind, whether she is willing to give proof, and then tell me quickly. Tomorrow at dawn let Maithilī, Janaka's daughter, take an oath in the midst of the assembly, to clear my name as well." How did Rāma know that the boys were Sītā's sons? From the story in the song itself: the abandoning of Sītā and the birth of her sons in Vālmīki's hermitage are told in the Uttara Kāṇḍa, and hearing that sung, Rāma understood. "To clear my name as well" deserves thought: Rāma wants to be cleared of reproach himself, not only Sītā, for the people's slander stains the king too. The doubt is voiced twice, "if she is pure… if she is free of sin"; Rāma knows Sītā is blameless, yet he needs proof before the world. The messengers are called "of clean conduct", the same words used of Sītā, and the poet sets up a quiet parallel. Rāma decides only after hearing the song for many days; he does not act in haste but with deliberation.

Hearing Rāghava's most extraordinary words, the messengers said, "Very well," and went to where the foremost of sages was. They bowed to that great-souled, radiant sage of boundless splendour and gave him Rāma's message gently and sweetly. Hearing them and understanding what was in Rāma's mind, the mighty sage replied: "So be it, and blessings on you. Sītā will do as Rāghava says, for a husband is a woman's god." So answered by the sage, the powerful royal messengers all returned to Rāghava and told him everything the sage had said. The messengers speak gently and sweetly because the message is harsh: a test of a wife's purity. Vālmīki does not even ask Sītā's consent but declares the dharma of a faithful wife, that her husband is her god, trusting that Sītā would never disobey her husband's wish. "Understanding what was in Rāma's mind" shows that the sage also grasped the turmoil in Rāma's heart: the king wants to take his wife back, but fear of the people makes him require proof. "Radiant" describes the fire of the sage's austerity and hints at the authority of his word. The messengers report the sage's words exactly, adding nothing and leaving nothing out, as a messenger's duty requires.

Hearing the great sage's answer, Kākutstha was delighted, and he addressed the seers and kings gathered there: "Let the holy ones with their disciples, the kings with their followers, and anyone else who wishes, come and witness Sītā's oath." When they heard the great Rāghava's words, a great cry of approval rose from all the chief seers, and the kings too praised him: "Best of men, this befits you alone on earth, and no one else." So, having fixed the oath for the following day, Rāghava, slayer of foes, dismissed them all; that lion among kings, great-souled, mighty and noble, thought it through, settled on the next day for the oath, and sent all the sages and kings away. Rāma's delight deserves notice: tomorrow there will be public proof of Sītā's purity, and then, he hopes, she may be taken back. But the reader knows that something else will happen in the next sarga. The kings' praise, "this befits you alone", honours Rāma's devotion to dharma, since for the world's sake he puts even his own wife to the test. The string of epithets at the end dwells again and again on Rāma's greatness. Rāma wants everyone to witness: the oath is not to be private but public, so that the very root of the slander may be torn out.