"Caeser's wife must be above suspicion"
This is an oft repeated quote. Of late our PM had said this during a Congress meeting, emphasising his actions should be above reproach (that he has been caught with his pants down on the CVC case is another matter).
But what is the background to this quote.
One has to go back to 67 BC - the Julius Caesar era. His wife Pompeia Sulla held a festival called Bona Dea in 62 BC -- a festival that paid tribute to 'good goddess'. In this festival, held in Pompeia's house, only women were permitted.
But Publius Clodius Pulcher, a naughty, young and ambitious patrician, sneaked in dressed as a woman with an intent to seduce the beautiful wife of Caesar.
He was caught, well, pants down, and prosecuted. But during the trial, Caesar never acted or gave evidence against Clodius. The patrician was thus acquitted.
But days later, Caesar divorced Pompeia, saying "my wife ought not even to be under suspicion." This gave birth to the expression "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion."
Is there something similar in Indian History. You bet there is. And you can find it in Ramayana.
Post the death of Ravana, and the coronation of Rama, there appeared a murmer amongst the people regarding how chaste Sita was, for she had spent nearly 10 months in Ravana's custody. Despite the fact that Sita was pregnant, Rama did not hesitate to ask Lakshmana to take Sita to the Forest and leave her there. For he felt that as a King, his and his family's conduct, character and actions should be above reproach (I don't personally agree to this conduct of Rama, but I just pointed out this incident for the sake of comparison. However it is worthwhile noting that Ramayana, said to describe the era approximately 600 BC predates Caeser by a long way).
