King Janaka’s daughter, Sita, had not been
born from the womb and was equally as endowed as the Lord with
transcendental qualities of form, beauty, age, behaviour, and nature
just like Sree Lakshmi.
At Sita’s svayamvara (the assembly where Mother Sita was to choose Her husband), in the midst of all the heroes, Lord Sri Ramacandra playfully lifted the immensly heavy bow of Lord Siva (Hara-dhanu), which was brought in by three hundred men. He then bent and strung it and broke it in everyone’s presence. After breaking the Hara-dhanu at the svayamvara, the Lord gained King Janaka’s daughter Sita.
Sri Rama’s internal potency, Sitadevi, although instructed repeatedly by Sri Ramacandra not to go with Him to the forest (as this punishment was meant for Him and not for Her or anyone else), left behind all comforts for the service of Her husband. By this action, She defined the duty of a chaste wife and exhibited the ideal of following the husband. Supreme Lord Sri Ramacandra was completely fascinated by the pure love of Sitadevi, which surpassed all His expectations, but in order to teach the dharma of a king who is engaged in the welfare of the citizens, and although giving pain to Himself, He asked for the ordeal by fire (Agni-pariksha) and declared the injunction of banishment of Sitadevi who is non-different from His own self.
Once, arrangements were being made for an Asvamedha-yajna under the priesthood of Vasishtha and other sages. The wife of the person to perform the Asvamedha yajna has to be initiated in the yajna before the husband. Because of this rule, it was proposed that Sri Ramacandra get married again, but Sri Ramacandra rejected the proposal and arranged to have a golden Deity of Sita instead. He was given yajna initiation, along with the golden Deity of Sita as His wife. What can be a better example of Sitadevi’s most excellent chastity and love than this?
--- Excerpts from the book Dasavatara by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj.
At Sita’s svayamvara (the assembly where Mother Sita was to choose Her husband), in the midst of all the heroes, Lord Sri Ramacandra playfully lifted the immensly heavy bow of Lord Siva (Hara-dhanu), which was brought in by three hundred men. He then bent and strung it and broke it in everyone’s presence. After breaking the Hara-dhanu at the svayamvara, the Lord gained King Janaka’s daughter Sita.
Sri Rama’s internal potency, Sitadevi, although instructed repeatedly by Sri Ramacandra not to go with Him to the forest (as this punishment was meant for Him and not for Her or anyone else), left behind all comforts for the service of Her husband. By this action, She defined the duty of a chaste wife and exhibited the ideal of following the husband. Supreme Lord Sri Ramacandra was completely fascinated by the pure love of Sitadevi, which surpassed all His expectations, but in order to teach the dharma of a king who is engaged in the welfare of the citizens, and although giving pain to Himself, He asked for the ordeal by fire (Agni-pariksha) and declared the injunction of banishment of Sitadevi who is non-different from His own self.
Once, arrangements were being made for an Asvamedha-yajna under the priesthood of Vasishtha and other sages. The wife of the person to perform the Asvamedha yajna has to be initiated in the yajna before the husband. Because of this rule, it was proposed that Sri Ramacandra get married again, but Sri Ramacandra rejected the proposal and arranged to have a golden Deity of Sita instead. He was given yajna initiation, along with the golden Deity of Sita as His wife. What can be a better example of Sitadevi’s most excellent chastity and love than this?
--- Excerpts from the book Dasavatara by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj.
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