Blogs on Devi Sita

Most of us were introduced to the story of Rama and Sita in this manner: “And so Rama rescued Sita from the clutches of Ravana and they returned to Ayodhya on the Pushpaka Vimanam. And then Rama was crowned king and they lived happily ever after.” But who really is Sita as an individual? Sita is the principal female character in the Ramayana, an Indian epic said to have been composed by the sage Valmiki. Her name means “furrow”, a reference to her birth story where her father found her in a field after ploughing. Rama, the hero of the story, won the right to marry Sita when he succeeded in stringing and breaking Siva’s bow. Sita accompanied Rama back to his home and, when Rama was banished to the forest instead of being crowned king, decided to go with him because it was her Dharmic duty to stay with her husband. Rama tried to persuade her to stay at the palace but she persisted and he gave in. They lived in the forest until Sita was captured by a demon king named Ravana.