Goddess Sita in Ramayana: Wife of Lord Sri Rama and an ideal character of Ramayana

 

The Ramayana, written and composed by Valmiki, is one of the greatest works of literature in the history of ancient India. It is in sync with everyone's life and touches their inner soul with subtle tenderness. It has proved to be a classic by the standards of world literature and has been translated into more than 300 languages. The characters of Ramayana are inspirational personalities in the lives of all of us.

Sita is the wife of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Sri Maha Vishnu in Hindu mythology. Sita Devi is one of the main characters in the Ramayana, a major Hindu epic. Born in Sitamarhi (Punaura) in Bihar, Sita was taken to Janakpur soon after her birth by her father, Maharaja Janak.

In Valmiki's Ramayana, the origin of Sita is shown from Mother Earth itself. Thus, Sita is a part of nature, and is always seen in harmony and peace with nature. When Rama was dissuading her not to accompany him to the forest, she said that she would be happy seeing only hills, lakes and rivers. It displayed his immense love and oneness with Mother Earth and all her natural elements. The golden deer is a symbol of beauty and an image of wild wildness.

Sita epitomizes the meaning of an ideal woman full of loyalty to her husband. When we hear about Sita, the first thing that comes to our mind is her unconditional love for Lord Rama. In the face of extreme hardship, Lord Rama's queen displayed exceptional character, based on her pure devotion to the Lord. Rama had to pass Shiva's test of lifting and breaking a heavy bow to earn the right to marry Sita. Rama is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, while Sita is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, therefore, they were born together to be bound by the thread of eternal love. Sita presents the character of an ideal woman as an ideal man, with right thoughts and actions.

Goddess Sita is truly a perfect example of a woman and she has all the good qualities that a traditional Indian woman is expected to have. She was the ideal daughter to her parents, the ideal wife to her husband Rama and the ideal mother to her twin sons Luv and Kush.

Goddess Sita had to go through a lot of hardships in her married life and it was her courage, purity and adherence to Dharma (righteousness) that eventually made her the ultimate winner. Through her life story, Sita shows how a strong woman should be and should never give up on her principles in life. Presumably, the entire mission of Sita's birth on earth in human form was to destroy the arrogant Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

Sita was discovered while plowing a field. Because of this legend, she is often referred to as Bhumidevi or the daughter of Mother Earth. She is also called Janaki because of her adoption by King Janak. King Janak was the ruler of Mithila in present-day Nepal. That's why Sita is also known as Maithili. Sita's father, Janaka, was known for his ability to transcend body consciousness. Hence he was popularly called "Videha". Hence, Sita came to be known as "Vaidehi" (daughter of Videha). As Rama's wife, she is also referred to as "Rama".