55-1196: Janki may refer to the following places: Janki means goddess Sita in India (also known as Janaki) Janki, Gmina Horodło in Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland) Janki, Gmina Hrubieszów in Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland) Janki, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-east Poland) Janki, Łódź Voivodeship (central Poland) Janki, Gostynin County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) Janki, Grójec County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) Janki, Pruszków County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) Janki, Radom County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) Janki, Wyszków County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) See also [ edit ] Janki Młode , Ostrołęka County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) Janki, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (north Poland) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
110-500: A svayamvara ceremony at his capital with the condition that she would marry only a prince who would possess the strength to string the Pinaka , the bow of the deity Shiva . Many princes attempted and failed to string the bow. During this time, Vishvamitra had brought Rama and his brother Lakshmana to the forest for the protection of a yajna (ritual sacrifice). Hearing about the svayamvara , Vishvamitra asked Rama to participate in
165-516: A form of Vishnu and departed to perform penance at the mountain Mahendra. The wedding entourage then reached Ayodhya, entering the city amid great fanfare. Some time after the wedding, Kaikeyi , Rama's stepmother, compelled Dasharatha to make Bharata king, prompted by the coaxing of her maid Manthara , and forced Rama to leave Ayodhya and spend a period of exile in the forests of Dandaka and later Panchavati. Sita and Lakshmana willingly renounced
220-521: A golden-yellow complexion. She is dressed in traditional sari or ghagra-choli along with a veil. Her jewelry are either made of metals, pearls or flowers. Who is Sita? सा देवी त्रिविधा भवति शक्त्यासना इच्छाशक्तिः क्रियाशक्तिः साक्षाच्छक्तिरिति That divine Being is threefold, through her power, namely, the power of desire, the power of action, the power of knowledge. — Sita Upanishad verse 11 Lanka Lanka ( / ˈ l æ ŋ k ə / , Sanskrit: [ˈlɐŋkaː] )
275-452: A heavy heart, he instructed him to take Sita to a forest outside Ayodhya and leave her there. Thus Sita was forced into exile a second time. Sita, who was pregnant, was given refuge in the hermitage of Valmiki , where she delivered twin sons named Kusha and Lava . In the hermitage, Sita raised her sons alone, as a single mother. They grew up to be valiant and intelligent and were eventually united with their father. Once she had witnessed
330-690: A magnificent deer to lure Sita. Sita, attracted to its golden glow asked her husband to make it her pet. When Rama and Lakshmana went far away from the hut, Ravana kidnapped Sita, disguising himself as a mendicant. Some versions of the Ramayana describe Sita taking refuge with the fire-god Agni , while Maya Sita , her illusionary double, is kidnapped by the demon-king. Jatayu , the vulture-king, tried to protect Sita but Ravana chopped off his wings. Jatayu survived long enough to inform Rama of what had happened. Ravana took Sita back to his kingdom in Lanka and she
385-453: A man questions Sita's fidelity and in order to prove her innocence and maintain his own and the kingdom's dignity, Rama sends Sita into the forest near the sage Valmiki 's ashram. Years later, Sita returns to the womb of her mother, the Earth, for release from a cruel world and as a testimony of her purity, after she reunites her two sons Kusha and Lava with their father Rama. The goddess
440-422: A position entirely subordinate to Rama. However, in the worship of Radha Krishna, Radha is often preferred over to Krishna, and in certain traditions, her name is elevated to a higher position compared to Krishna's. The Janaki Ramayana is written by Pandit Lal Das . In this poetic form version, Sita is the central character of the epic. The life of Goddess Sita and her infinite powers have been described from
495-573: A possibility. Ravana's Lanka, and its capital Lankapuri, are described in a manner that seems superhuman even by modern-day standards. Ravana's central palace complex (main citadel) was a massive collection of several edifices that reached over one yojana (13 km or 8 mi) in height, one yojana in length, and half a yojana in breadth. The island had a large mountain range known as the Trikuta Mountain (Trikonamalai-In Tamil/Trinkomale-English,where Ravan built Temple for shiva), atop which
550-418: A similar fate of being separated from her husband during pregnancy. The male bird was reborn as the washerman. While the Ramayana mostly concentrates on Rama's actions, Sita also speaks many times during the exile. The first time is in the town of Chitrakuta where she narrates an ancient story to Rama, whereby Rama promises to Sita that he will never kill anybody without provocation. The second time Sita
605-520: A war to defeat Ravana. Upon rescue, Rama makes Sita undergo a trial by fire to prove her chastity. In some versions of the Ramayana , during this test the fire-god Agni appears in front of Rama and attests to Sita's purity, or hands over to him the real Sita and declares it was Maya Sita who was abducted by Ravana. The Thai version of the Ramayana, however, tells of Sita walking on the fire, of her own accord, to feel clean, as opposed to jumping in it. She
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#1732791949224660-630: Is an important goddess in the Vaishnavite traditions of Hinduism. Regarded as the avtara of goddess Lakshmi , she finds her mention in various scriptures and text of Hindu traditions. Sita is the primary character of the minor Upanishad Sita Upanishad , which is attached to the Atharva Veda , It identifies Sita with primordial Prakriti (nature) and her three powers, asserts the text, are manifested in daily life as will ( iccha ), action ( kriyā ) and knowledge ( jnana ). Sita appears in
715-471: Is best known by the name "Sita", derived from the Sanskrit word sīta , furrow . According to Ramayana , Janaka found her while ploughing as a part of a yagna and adopted her. The word Sīta was a poetic term, which signified fertility and the many blessings coming from settled agriculture. The Sita of the Ramayana may have been named after a more ancient Vedic goddess Sita, who is mentioned once in
770-477: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Sita Traditional Sita ( Sanskrit : सीता ; IAST : Sītā ), also known as Siya , Janaki and Maithili , is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana . Sita is the consort of Rama , the avatar of god Vishnu , and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi . She
825-403: Is exclusively focused on her romantic relationship with her lover", giving two contrasting role models from two ends of the moral universe. Yet they share common elements as well. Both face life challenges and are committed to their true love. They are both influential, adored and beloved goddesses in the Hindu culture. In worship of Rama, Sita is represented as a dutiful and loving wife, holding
880-478: Is invoked as one of the names of the goddess Arya: O goddess, you are the altar's center in the sacrifice, The priest's fee Sita to those who hold the plough And Earth to all living being. The Kausik-sutra and the Paraskara-sutra associate her repeatedly as the wife of Parjanya (a god associated with rains) and Indra . Sita is known by many epithets. She is called Jānaki as
935-543: Is not burnt, and the coals turn to lotuses. In the Uttara Kanda , following their return to Ayodhya, Rama was crowned as the king with Sita by his side. While Rama's trust and affection for Sita never wavered, it soon became evident that some people in Ayodhya could not accept Sita's long captivity under Ravana. During Rama's period of rule, an intemperate washerman , while berating his wayward wife, declared that he
990-520: Is shown talking prominently is when she speaks to Ravana. Ravana has come to her in the form of a mendicant and Sita tells him that he does not look like one. Some of her most prominent speeches are with Hanuman when he reaches Lanka. Hanuman wants an immediate union of Rama and Sita and thus he proposes to Sita to ride on his back. Sita refuses as she does not want to run away like a thief; instead she wants her husband Rama to come and defeat Ravana to save her. A female deity of agricultural fertility by
1045-466: Is supported by the presence of Minicoy Island in the vicinity between India and Maldives, the ancient name being Minikaa, or Mainaka (the mountain met by Hanuman on his way to Lanka), which in the ancient language of the place means "cannibal", probably a reference to Sursa, as cannibals from the Nicobars were frequently found here, along with snakes. Sumatra and Madagascar has also been suggested as
1100-644: Is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion. Sita's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Sita Navami . Described as the daughter of Bhūmi (the earth), Sita is brought up as the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha . Sita, in her youth, chooses Rama, the prince of Ayodhya as her husband in a swayamvara . After the swayamvara , she accompanies her husband to his kingdom, but later chooses to accompany her husband, along with her brother-in-law Lakshmana , in his exile. While in exile,
1155-661: Is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata . The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the Trikuta Mountains. The ancient city of Lankapura is said to have been burnt down by Hanuman . After its king, Ravana was killed by Rama with the help of Ravana's brother Vibhishana ,
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#17327919492241210-510: Is viewed as the birthplace of Sita. Apart from Sitamarhi, Janakpur , which is located in the present-day Province No. 2 , Nepal , is also described as Sita's birthplace. Sita has a younger sister Urmila , born to Janaka and Sunayna, whom she was the closest among her three sisters. Her father's younger brother, Kushadhvaja daughters Mandavi and Shrutakirti grew up with them in Mithila. When Sita reached adulthood, Janaka conducted
1265-921: The Andhras and the Talavanas, the Kalingas and the Ushtrakarnikas, and also the delightful city of Atavi and that of the Yavanas . And, He has arrived at the seashore, then dispatched with great assurance messengers unto the illustrious Vibhishana , the grandson of Pulastya and the ruler of Lanka (2:30). Lanka king is listed as present in the conclave of kings present in Pandava king Yudhishthira 's Rajasuya sacrifice. The Vangas and Angas and Paundras and Odras and Cholas and Dravidas and Cheras and Pandyas and Mushika and Andhakas , and
1320-883: The Puranas namely the Vishnu Purana and Padma Purana (as an avatar of Lakshmi ), the Matsya Purana (as form of Devi ), the Linga Purana (as form of Lakshmi), the Kurma Purana , Agni Purana , Garuda Purana (as consort of Rama), the Skanda Purana and the Shiva Purana . She also finds mention in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata . Sita along with Rama appears as
1375-548: The Rigveda as an earth goddess who blesses the land with good crops. In the Vedic period , she was one of the goddesses associated with fertility. Rigveda 4.53.6, addressed to Agricultural Divinities, states "Become inclined our way, well-portioned Furrow. We will extol you, so that you will be well-portioned for us, so that you will be well-fruited for us." -Translated by Jamison and Brereton In Harivamsa , Sita
1430-650: The 12th-century Khmer temple of Angkor Wat . After Ravana's death, he was succeeded by his brother, Vibhishana . The Lanka referred to in the still-extant Hindu Texts and the Ramayana (referred to as Ravana 's Lanka), is considered to be a large island-country, situated in the Indian Ocean. Studies refer that the Palace of Ravana was located in Sigiriya the palace built by the Kashyapa I of Anuradhapura as
1485-521: The acceptance of her children by Rama, Sita sought final refuge in the arms of her mother Bhūmi . Hearing her plea for release from an unjust world and from a life that had rarely been happy, the Earth dramatically split open; Bhūmi appeared and took Sita away. According to the Padma-puran , Sita's exile during her pregnancy was because of a curse during her childhood. Sita had caught a pair of divine parrots, which were from Valmiki's ashram, when she
1540-518: The beginning to the end. There are three Khandas in the Janaki Ramayana : Kathārambha , Lakshmikaanda and Radhakaanda . The Adbhuta Ramayana is written by Valmiki himself and is shorter than the original epic. Sita is accorded far more prominence in this variant of the Ramayana narrative. During the war, Sahastra Ravana shot an arrow at Rama, making him wounded and unconscious on the battle field. Seeing Rama unconscious and helpless on
1595-670: The central character in Valmiki Samhita , which is attributed to their worship and describes them to be the ultimate reality . In its chapter 5, a dialogue form between Sita and saptarishi , described to Parvati by Shiva is mentioned, known as the Maithili Mahopanishad . भूर्भुवः स्वः । सप्तद्वीपा वसुमती । त्रयो लोकाः । अन्तरिक्षम् । सर्वे त्वयि निवसन्ति । आमोदः । प्रमोदः । विमोदः । सम्मोदः । सर्वांस्त्वं सन्धत्से । आञ्जनेयाय ब्रह्मविद्या प्रदात्रि धात्रित्वां सर्वे वयं प्रणमामहे प्रणमामहे ॥ The sages said: "In
1650-726: The ceremony with the consent of Janaka, who agreed to offer Sita's hand in marriage to the prince if he could fulfil the requisite task. When the bow was brought before him, Rama seized the centre of the weapon, fastened the string taut, and broke it in two in the process. Witnessing his prowess, Janaka agreed to marry his daughter to Rama and invited Dasharatha to his capital. King Dasharatha arrived in Mithila for his son's wedding and noticed that Lakshmana had feelings for Urmila, but according to tradition, Bharata and Mandavi were to marry first. He then arranged for Bharata to marry Mandavi and Shatrughna to marry Shrutakirti, allowing Lakshmana to marry Urmila. Ultimately, all four sisters married
1705-743: The chiefs of many islands and countries on the seaboard as also of frontier states, including the rulers of the Sinhalas , the barbarous mlecchas, the natives of Lanka, and all the kings of the West by hundreds, and all the chiefs of the seacoast, and the kings of the Pahlavas and the Daradas and the various tribes of the Kiratas and Yavanas and Sakras and the Harahunas and Chinas and Tukharas and
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1760-442: The comforts of the palace and joined Rama in exile. The Panchavati forest became the scene for Sita's abduction by Ravana, King of Lanka. The scene started with Shurpanakha 's love for Rama. However Rama refused her, stating that he was devoted to Sita. This enraged the demoness and she tried to kill Sita. Lakshmana cut Shurpanakha's nose and sent her back. Ravana, to kidnap Sita, made a plan. Maricha , his uncle, disguised himself as
1815-615: The complete procedure to worship Sita-Rama, Tulsidas's Vinaya Patrika has devotional hymns dedicated to her. Ramananda through his conversation with disciple Surasurananda in Vaishnava Matabja Bhaskara , explains about the worship of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. Kalidasa 's Raghuvamsa gives a detail account of Sita's swayamvara, abduct and her exile, in the cantos 10 to 15. The Sita-Rama and Radha-Krishna pairs represent two different personality sets, two perspectives on dharma and lifestyles, both cherished in
1870-544: The content of these texts to determine that Lanka was located at the point where the Prime-Meridian of India passes the Equator . This island would therefore lie more than 160 km (100 mi) southwest of present-day country of Sri Lanka. The most original of all the existing versions of Valmiki 's Ramayana also suggest the location of Ravana's Lanka to be in the western Indian Ocean . It indicates that Lanka
1925-399: The daughter of Janaka and Maithili as the princess of Mithila. As the wife of Rama, she is called Ramā . Her father Janaka had earned the sobriquet Videha due to his ability to transcend body consciousness; Sita is therefore also known as Vaidehi . The birthplace of Sita is disputed. The Sita Kund pilgrimage site which is located in present-day Sitamarhi district , Bihar, India,
1980-695: The earthly realm, the celestial space, and the heavenly realms, and in the seven continents on Earth, in the three worlds—heaven, mortal, and the netherworld. All these, including space and the sky, reside within you. You embody joy, delight, exhilaration, and bliss. Oh ultimate embodiment of Dhatrī! bestower of the Brahmavidya to Lord Hanuman! Oh sustainer of all realms, Sri Sita! We bow to you repeatedly." Apart from other versions of Ramayana , many 14th-century Vaishnava saints such as Nabha Dass , Tulsidas and Ramananda have mentioned Sita, in their works. While Ramananda's Sri Ramarchan Paddati explains
2035-404: The field, Sita gives up her human appearance and takes the horrific form of Mahakali . In less than a second, she severed Sahastra Ravana's 1000 heads and began destroying rakshasas everywhere. Sita is eventually pacified by the gods, Rama's consciousness is restored and the story moves forward. The Sanskrit play Mahaviracharita by Bhavabhuti is based on the early life of Rama. According to
2090-452: The first time makes his brother Lakshmana angry at him. In some versions of the epic, Maya Sita , an illusion created by Agni , takes Sita's place and is abducted by Ravana and suffers his captivity, while the real Sita hides in the fire. Some scriptures also mention her previous birth being Vedavati , a woman Ravana tries to molest. After proving her purity, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya, where they are crowned as king and queen. One day,
2145-400: The four brothers, strengthening the alliance between the two kingdoms. A wedding ceremony was conducted under the guidance of Shatananda. During the homeward journey to Ayodhya, another avatar of Vishnu, Parashurama , challenged Rama to combat, on the condition that he was able to string the bow of Vishnu, Sharanga . When Rama obliged him with success, Parashurama acknowledged the former to be
2200-478: The king and the land. Sita is a personification of Earth's fertility, abundance, and well-being. In the Ramcharitmanas , Tulsidas called Sita the regulator of the universe and added, "I bow to Sita, the beloved consort of Sri Rama, who is responsible for the creation, sustenance, and dissolution (of the universe), removes afflictions and begets all blessings." — Balkand, Manglacharan, Shloka 5 Sita
2255-604: The latter was crowned king of Lankapura. His descendants were said to still rule the kingdom during the period of the Pandavas . According to the Mahabharata , the Pandava Sahadeva visited this kingdom during his southern military campaign for the rajasuya of Yudhishthira . The palaces of Ravana were said to be guarded by four-tusked elephants. According to both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata , Lanka
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2310-406: The legend describes the capital of the kingdom was located between plateaus and forests. Some scholars asserted that it must have been Sri Lanka because it is so stated in the 5th century Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa . However, the Ramayana clearly states that Ravana's Lanka was situated 100 Yojanas (roughly 1213 km or 753.72 miles) away from mainland India. Some scholars have interpreted
2365-399: The name Sita was known before Valmiki's Ramayana , but was overshadowed by better-known goddesses associated with fertility. According to Ramayana , Sita was discovered in a furrow when Janaka was ploughing. Since Janaka was a king, it is likely that ploughing was part of a royal ritual to ensure fertility of the land. Sita is considered to be a child of Mother Earth, produced by union between
2420-487: The play, Vishwamitra invites Janaka to attend his sacrifice, but he sends his brother Kushadhvaja and daughters Sita and Urmila, as his delegates. This is the place, where Rama and Sita met for the first time. By the end of the act, Kushadhvaja and Vishwamitra decide to marry Sita and Urmila to Rama and Lakshamana. Saptakanda Ramayana written by Madhava Kandali is a version of Ramayana known for its non-heroic portrayal of Rama, Sita, and other characters, which rendered
2475-423: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janki&oldid=1185367988 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2530-763: The story begins at Book III (Varna Parva), Section 271 of the Mahabharata. Sahadeva , the son of Pandu , conquered the town of Sanjayanti and the country of the Pashandas and the Karanatakas utilizing his messengers alone and made all of them pay tributes to him. The hero brought under his subjection and exacted tributes from the Paundrayas ( Pandyas ?) and the Dravidas along with the Udrakeralas and
2585-519: The trio settles in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana , the Rakshasa king of Lanka . She is imprisoned in the garden of Ashoka Vatika , in Lanka, until she is rescued by Rama, who slays her captor. After the war, in some versions of the epic, Rama asks Sita to undergo Agni Pariksha (an ordeal of fire ), by which she proves her chastity, before she is accepted by Rama, which for
2640-400: The way of life called Hinduism . Sita is traditionally wedded: the dedicated and virtuous wife of Rama , an introspective temperate paragon of a serious, virtuous man. Radha is a power potency of Krishna , who is a playful adventurer. Sita and Radha offer two templates within the Hindu tradition. If "Sita is a queen, aware of her social responsibilities", states Pauwels, then "Radha
2695-552: The work unsuitable for religious purposes. Sita in Hinduism , is revered as the goddess of beauty and devotion. She is mostly depicted along with her husband Rama and is shakti or prakriti of Rama, as told in the Ram Raksha Stotram . Mithila art , that originated at Sita's birthplace depicts Sita and Rama's marriage ceremony through the paintings. In Rama and Sita's temple, she is always placed on Rama's right, with
2750-412: Was "no pusillanimous Rama who would take his wife back after she had lived in the house of another man". The common folk started gossiping about Sita and questioned Ram's decision to make her queen. Rama was extremely distraught on hearing the news, but finally told Lakshmana that as a king, he had to make his citizens pleased and the purity of the queen of Ayodhya has to be above any gossip and rumour. With
2805-422: Was held as a prisoner in one of his palaces. During her captivity for a year in Lanka, Ravana expressed his desire for her; however, Sita refused his advances. Hanuman was sent by Rama to seek Sita and eventually succeeded in discovering Sita's whereabouts. Sita gave Hanuman her jewellery and asked him to give it to her husband. Hanuman returned across the sea to Rama. Sita was finally rescued by Rama, who waged
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#17327919492242860-455: Was in the midst of a series of large island-nations, submerged mountains, and sunken plateaus in the western part of the Indian Ocean. There has been a lot of speculation by several scholars since the 19th century that Ravana's Lanka might have been in the Indian Ocean around where the Maldives once stood as a high mountain, before getting submerged in the Indian Ocean. This speculation
2915-457: Was originally ruled by a rakshasa named Sumali . Kubera seized control of Lanka and established the Yaksha kingdom and his capital was guarded by rakshasas . His half-brother Ravana, son of the sage Vishrava and Sumali 's daughter Kaikesi , fought with Kubera and took Lanka from him. Ravana ruled Lanka as king of the Rakshasa kingdom . The battle in Lanka is depicted in a famous relief in
2970-458: Was situated Ravana's capital of Lanka, at the center of which in turn stood his citadel. Many of the references to Lanka in the Mahabharata are found in sage Markandeya 's narration of the story of Rama and Sita to the king Yudhishthira , which narration amounts to a truncated version of the Ramayana . The references in the following summary are to the Mahabharata and adhere to the following form: (book:section). Markandeya 's narration of
3025-471: Was young. The birds were talking about a story of Sri Ram heard in Valmiki 's ashram, which intrigued Sita. She has the ability to talk with animals. The female bird was pregnant at that time. She requested Sita to let them go, but Sita only allowed her male companion to fly away, and the female parrot died because of the separation from her companion. As a result, the male bird cursed Sita that she would suffer
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