Sita's Virtually Illicit Birth
In the Valmiki Ramayana, King Janaka
(Sita's father) recounts the virtually illicit birth of Sita (Lord Rama's
wife):
"[Janaka:] 'Now, one day when I was in the sacrificial grounds, I saw the
ultimate celestial nymph, Menaka, flying through the sky, and this thought came
to me: 'If I should have a child in her, what a child that would be!' As I was
thinking in this way, my semen fell on the ground. And afterwards, as I was
ploughing that field, there arose out of the earth, as first fruits, my
daughter, who has celestial beauty and qualities, and can only be won by one
whose bride price is his manliness. Since she arose from the surface of the
earth, and was born from no womb, she is called Sita, the furrow.' " --
Ramayana 1:65 (Devanagari manuscript w-1455). [O'Flaherty,
Wendy D. Textual Sources for the
Study of Hinduism. Pub.: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-61847-1. p.59].
The name Sita literally means 'furrow.'
In Hinduism, Sita is the ideal model of behavior for women.
By the way, does Sita possess 'celestial beauty' as indicated in King Janaka's
description above? The demon Ravana
apparently thought so and kidnapped her; the following is Ravana's detailed
description of Sita:
"[Ravana:] 'Who are you, golden woman dressed in garments of yellow silk,
wearing a lovely lotus garland, and like a lotus pond yourself? Are you the
goddess Modesty or Fame? Are you Sri or lovely Laksmi or perhaps an apsaras,
lovely lady? Could you be Prosperity, shapely woman, or easygoing Pleasure? …
Your hips are full and broad, your thighs smooth as an elephant's trunk. And
these, your delightful breasts, how round they are, so firm and gently heaving;
how full and lovely, smooth as two palm fruits, with their nipples standing
stiff and the rarest gems to adorn them.' " -- Ramayana 3:44:15-19. [Pollock,
Sheldon I. The Ramayana of
Valmiki: an Epic of Ancient India. Aranyakanda (vol. 3). Pub.:
Princeton University Press. ISBN
0-691-06660-4. p.180].
There is no shortage of vivid descriptions of Sita's body in the Valmiki
Ramayana. It is not only the evil
Ravana, but even Sita herself has a polluted mouth as well. When the fictitious 'news' of Rama's death
(a trick by Ravana) reaches Sita who is held hostage in Lanka, she laments that
her body is no longer of any use because her husband has been slain; however,
Sita also mutters about all the voluptuous features of her body:
"[Sita:] 'Those marks that are pronounced infallible by those versed in
such knowledge, on Rama being slain, are nullified in me. My hairs are fine,
equal, and blue; my eye-brows touch each other; my hips are devoid of down and
round; and my teeth are close. My temples, and eyes, hands, feet, ankles, and
thighs are equal. And my fingers are furnished with round nails, and are plump
and even in the middle. And my breasts are close and firm and developed, and
have their nipples sunk. And my navel is depressed, with high sides. And my
chest is swelling.' " -- Ramayana 6:48. [Dutt, Manmatha Nath. The Ramayana: translated into English
prose from the original Sanskrit of Valmiki. Calcutta: Deva Press, 1889-94.
Vol. III. pp.1240-1241].