Rama, the Beloved of the Daughter of Mother Earth

If Sri Ram is a personification of virtue, Sita is an embodiment of purity, and the values adhered to at every point in the course of her arduous life are exemplary. Found by King Janak in a furrow while ploughing a field, she is considered the daughter of Bhoomi Devi, or Mother Earth. She was brought up by Janak as his own daughter and given in marriage to Lord Ram who, with his unrivalled might and prowess, managed to break Lord Shiva’s bow, the precondition to win Sita’s hand in marriage. Janak thereby ensured that his precious daughter was given away only to the most powerful and heroic suitor. Valmiki’s Ramayana revolves around Sri Ram’s exile from the kingdom, Sita’s abduction by the evil king of ogres, Ravana, and her eventual rescue, asserting the triumph of righteousness or dharma. Besides her exquisite beauty, which defies description, what radiates from her is her unmatched brilliance of character, her uncompromising qualities of purity, chastity, humility, and her unflinching faith in Sri Ram’s might and love for her. She never stands for anything that is remotely immoral. These virtues of Sita stand out brilliantly throughout, even in the most trying times in the forest and as a captive of Ravana in Ashokavana in Lanka. With faith, patience and tenacity, she pulled herself through the most tormenting conditions of her life because she knew that no force was too strong to defy Lord Ram.Her ordeal did not end even after she was rescued from Ravan’s clutches. She displayed immense courage both at the agnipravesh where she was made to go through a test of fire, and when she had to raise her children single-handedly in the forest.Sita’s life is a lifetime of gruelling trials and hardships where she shone as a strong and courageous woman making outstanding sacrifices, never compromising on the principles she stood for until the very end.Sita was willing to sacrifice any comfort and undergo any difficulty or suffering for her lord, constantly revelling in his thoughts when she was away from him, thereby sustaining her life. Such is her identification with her lord and her indefinable love for him. Sita never faltered in her loyalty and unswerving devotion towards Lord Ram.