Rama may have come on earth for a godly mission, but the impact he had on Sita brought about a different outcome (Mines and Lamb 182). Rama was the first born son of Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, and his mother Kausalya. The king had two other wives. At the age of sixteen, the sage Vishwamitra sought the help of Rama and Lakshmana to fight the demons (Pemberton 200).
The King from a neighboring kingdom found a baby girl in the field. Her past was unknown, and even the king named her Sita and thought of her as a “miraculous gift of God” (Pemberton 200). Rama, Lakshmana, and Vishwamitra went to King Janaka’s party. When Sita had reached marriageable age, the King wanted a man with special abilities for his daughter (Galbraith and Marsack 328). Only Rama wielded the heavy bow and won the king’s prize (Pemberton 200). There were three marriage arrangements. The weddings happened at Mithila while their marriage parties took place at Ayodhya.
They lived at their home during this marriage time for about twelve years. Rama’s father, Dasharatha, wanted to crown him as the next king because he was too old to continue ruling. But his stepmother did not like the idea. She asked the king to send him into the forest for exile. Love could make a man do the things he would not have done if he was not in love. The king obeyed Kaikeyi’s demands to have Rama go to exile for fourteen years.
Rama accepted the punishment from his reluctant father (Coward, Neufeldt and Neumaier 255). Sita told him that “the forest where you dwell is Ayodhya for me and Ayodhya without you is a veritable hell for me” (Coward, Neufeldt and Neumaier 255). They agreed to go to the forest together with Lakshmana.
They built cottages in the forest. Surpanakha was the sister to the demigod Ravana. She came and disguised herself with the intention of winning over the love of Rama and Lakshmana. When she failed, she planned to kill Sita. Lakshmana managed to cut her ears and nose. When her brother, Khara, came to avenge her, Lakshmana also killed him. The demon God kidnapped Sita as revenge.
Sita refused Hanuman’s help to escape and said that “Rama himself must come and avenge the insult of her abduction” first (Hair 26). The battle ensued at Lanka where Rama killed king Ravana. Rama made Sita to go through the “Agni pariksha” (Hair 26). She had to prove her purity, and she won the test. They returned to Ayodhya and ruled as king and queen in an ideal state with good morals.
Rama banishes Sita to the forest because of rumors of her impurity. She gave birth to Rama’s twin boys, Lava, and Kusha, while under the care of Valmiki. When Rama invited them for a ceremony, he recognized his children but Sita went back to the ground because of her husband’s mistrust in her (Losty 440). Rama returned to the gods.
Sita proved her love for her husband all her life. She even trained her children to obey their father. As a good father and husband, there was a need for trust in the family. The father also had to bring them together even during difficult times. Siblings need to support each other.
Works Cited
Coward, Harold, Ronald Neufeldt, and Eva K Neumaier. Readings in Eastern Religions, Second Edition, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2006. Print.
Galbraith, Iain, and Robyn Marsack. Oxford Poets 2013, New York: Carcanet, 2013. Print.
Hair, David. The Pyre of Queens, Toronto: Razorbill, 2011. Print.
Losty, J. P. The Ramayana, London: British Library, The, 2008. Print.
Mines, Diane P, and Sarah E Lamb. Everyday Life in South Asia, Second Edition, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010. Print.
Pemberton, John. Myths and Legends, New York: Chartwell Books, 2010. Print.