Most of you have grownup hearing the epic Ramayana stories since your childhood. You know, the protagonists of this epic are Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Ravana. If anybody questions who Sita is, you can tell them that she was the daughter of King Janaka.
On the contrary, some people say that Sita was not Janaka’s biological daughter but Ravana’s. To keep your confusion at bay, we unravel the mystery of whether Sita is the daughter of Ravana.
What do different Ramayana versions say about Ravana and Sita’s relationship?
According to the Valmiki Ramayana and Ramavataram, as a part of a royal ritual to ensure the fertility of the land, King Janaka plowed a land where he found Sita. Sita is considered a personification of the Earth’s abundance, fertility, and well-being. She is known to be the child of Mother Earth.
In Sangha-dasa’s Jain version of Ramayana of the 5th century BCE, Sita was born as the daughter of Ravana. According to this version, astrologers forecast that the first child of Vidyadhara Maya, Ravana’s wife, would destroy his lineage. That’s the reason Ravana ordered to bury the infant in a land. Later, King Janaka found Sita from the land and adopted her.
Reincarnation of Vedavati
Vedavati was the daughter of Sage Kushadvaja and granddaughter of Brihaspati, the holy Deva Guru. She was an ardent devotee of Vishnu. When she was performing penance to become the consort of Vishnu, Ravana saw Vedavati. Her beauty attracted him, and he showed his willingness to marry her. When he tried to molest her chastity, she cursed him. Vedavati told him that she would be born again in the world and she would be the cause of his destruction. Eventually, she immolated and died. She was reborn as Sita and adopted by her foster father, Janaka. She married Rama and went into exile. Ravana kidnapped her and imprisoned her in his walled garden Ashoka Vatika. Finally, Rama, along with Hanuman, redeemed her and killed Ravana. As Vedavati said, Sita was the main reason for Ravana’s death.
Reincarnation of Manivati
According to Acharya Gunabhadra’s Uttara Purana, a Jain version of the 9th century CE, Ravana disturbed the asceticism of Manivati, daughter of Amitavega of Alkapuri. She vowed to take revenge on Ravana. Manivati was reborn as the daughter of Ravana and Mandodari. But, astrologers predicted that Ravana would be destroyed by his daughter. So, he ordered his servants to kill the child. Manivati was placed in a casket and buried in the ground of Mithila. Some farmers of the kingdom discovered her and informed the Mithila king, Janaka. Then Janaka adopted her.
Sita’s birth and parentage have been depicted differently in different versions of the Ramayana and other religious texts. Sita was ‘Ayonija,’ which means not born in the womb. Sita is the main character in the Ramayana, a Hindu epic named after her husband, Rama. She is esteemed as the best example of wifely and womanly virtues for all Hindu women. According to Hinduism, Sita is an Avatar of Lakshmi.
Ravana had reasons for not accepting his defeat. Firstly, it was his boundless love and affection towards Sita. He could not send her back to the forest to suffer. Secondly, Ravana knew Ram was an incarnation of Vishnu and that his death at Rama’s hands would give him salvation. He had his last courageous battle and lost his life to Rama. Ravan attained his salvation after the destruction of Lanka. The words of the priest came true. Sita was the main cause behind the destruction of Lanka.
Why did Lord Rama touch Ravana’s feet?
Ravana was an ardent devotee of Shiva. Sita wished to perform a Yagya and Pooja to Shiva during her hard times in Ashoka Vatika. Ravana was the only perfect Brahmin to perform that specific Pooja to Shiva. So, Rama called Ravana to lead the Pooja as the main priest in Rameshwaram.
Ravana revealed to Rama that doing Pooja without a spouse would be deficient. And he brought Sita to join the Pooja. After the Pooja, when Rama and Sita bowed down to touch the feet of Ravana, the priest, for blessings, he blessed Rama by saying ‘Vijayi bhava’ (May victory be yours!). Ravana even blessed Sita by saying ‘Sumangali bhava’ (May you get all good constantly!).
That was when both Rama and Sita said to touch Ravana’s feet.