Ramayana is one of the two epics, which are vastly taught in India. Ramayana is a story of love, devotion, war, tragedy and hope. It is a story that every kid hears and every parent teaches. Ramayana starts with a curse and ends with a blessing. Vedhas are based on teachings taught in Ramayana. Ramayana is more than just an epic or a history in India. For those who read or hear teachings from Ramayana, it is a lecture on the perspective of life, hope and peace. Ramayana is literary and an oral legend that has been passed on from generation to generation through centuries. 

Where does Ramayan start?

Ramayana does not start with the birth of Rama. Although Ramayana is named after the protagonist of the epic, it starts with the time of Rama’s father, Dasharatha. 

Shravana Kumara was the son of two blind parents. Shantanu and Gyananvathi were parents of Kumara. Upon witnessing his parents go through old age, he decided to take them on a pilgrimage to the four pure destinations in India to purify their souls and wash their sins. But Shravana Kumara could not afford the travel charges that came with it for three people. Hence, he made baskets and carried his parents on these baskets while his parents sat inside them. Kumara set out on the journey, carrying his parents. 

However, this journey did not last long. While crossing a forest,  Kumara decided to take a break and get water for his parents. Setting them down, he went to the riverside alone. Dasharatha, the King of Ayodhya, was hunting nearby. When he heard a sound near the river, he shot an arrow towards the direction thinking that he had hit an animal. In fact, when he had hit Kumara. When Dasharatha reached the riverside, Kumara had been injured and on the verge of death. Kumara then explained to the King that he had left his blind parents thirsty and asked him to get them water and explain the situation of his death. 

Dasharatha, who went to explain the situation to Kumara’s parents, had not expected to get cursed. Although Kumara had come to terms with his death, his father cursed Dasharatha that he would meet the same fate as him, losing (or) staying away from his son for a very long time. This curse was the foundation to Ramayana. 

Birth of Sita

Sita Matha is the daughter of Bhoomi devi or the Goddess of Earth. When Janakapur was experiencing heavy drought, its King Janaka decided to have a ritual to bring rain. And therefore, to fulfil the parts of the procedure of this ritual, he went on to plough a land in his country, with a golden plough. What he did not expect to see was a child inside the ground. A small infant girl was found inside the land that Janaka had just ploughed. Janaka had just taken the child into his arms when the rain started. Janaka thus decided that the child they found was a good luck charm and a miracle. He took her to the palace and raised her as his daughter. 

Sita grew up with innocence, kindness and great intelligence that no one had yet to encounter. She was a bundle of joy and showed kindness to every creature and felt the importance of every creature on the planet. Sita’s kind act had made her the favourite sister among the sisters and a favourite princess among the citizens. 

 To this day, the site where Sita was found is worshipped as a sacred spot. Sita has several names. Janaki, as the daughter of Janaka. Bhoomika, as the daughter of Bhoomi Devi. Maithili, as the princess of the state. And several more.