Sita in Ramayan is the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and Ram is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.When Lord Shiva looked at their marriage charts, he was surprised that all the 36 planetary positions matched pronouncing them as an ideal couple. Sita is significant in mythology and described as a woman who faced innumerable challenges with grace and fortitude. Our epics describe her as a symbol of strength and resilience. She was given many names and many epithets. She was called Jānaki as the daughter of Janaka and Maithili as the princess of Mithila. As the wife of Rama, she was called Ramā and because King Janaka had earned the sobriquet Videha due to his ability to transcend body consciousness; Sita is also known as Vaidehi.
There are innumerable interpretations of her agnipariksha and also her abduction by Ravana. In some versions of the epic, Lord Agni is said to have created a illusion called Maya Sita and who Ravan abducted was not the Goddess Sita but the illusion. Her suffering in Lanka during her captivity was a process to mislead Ravan for the final climax. Some scriptures mention her previous birth as Vedavati who Ravana tried to molest. Some say she is the daughter of Ravan and Mandodri who was abandoned after birth because Ravan was told that she will be the cause of his death.
After their return from the exile, Ram prompted by a washerman asks Sita to give an agnipariksha to prove her fidelity and Sita takes a trial by fire. Not satisfied Ram sends her to sage Valmiki’s ashram where Sita deliver Luv and Kush. Eventually, Sita returns to mother earth leaving her children in the care of their father Rama.
To be continued