Sri Sita Rama kalyanam

Marriage of Rama and Sita

Marriage of Sita and Rama probably is played out more number of times than any other event of the classic, Ramayana !

In the Southern parts of India the marriage invitation invariably uses a sloka referring to the marriage or Rama and Sita.

Although the marriage is described in Sarga 73 , the actual event starts from the time Rama breaks the Siva's bow in Sarga 67 ! For many the events described in the intervening chapters constitute the ideal of performing marriage. After the breaking of Siva's bow , the marriage was not the instantaneous next step. Janaka sends a formal invitation and proposal to marry Sita and Rama ( Sarga 68). Dasaratha goes through the motions of getting concurrence from his advisers and proceeds to Mithila. In Mithila Dasartha is properly received ( Sarga 69) and Dasaratha gracefully accepts the date set by Janaka for the marriage saying - प्रतिग्रहो दातृ वशः - ప్రతిగ్రహో దాతృ వశః - placing the brides father at a higher pedestal in fixing the date for the marriage. Sarga 70 details the formal meeting in Janaka's court along with Janaka's brother Kusadhvaja , with Dasaratha and his entourage being given pride of place . There Vasistha reads out the Family back ground of Ikshwakus and Janaka in turn narrates his family background ( Sarga 71) - this event is even now followed in most marriages in Andhra Pradesh in India. Sarga 72 details the finalization of all the four marriages of Rama , Lakshmana , Bharata , Sathrughna simultaneously with Sita , Urmila , Mandavi, Shrutakirthi . Sarga 73 details the marriage and we have the often heard sloka rendered by Janaka :
ఇయం సీతా మమ సుతా సహధర్మ చారీ తవ
ప్రతీచ్ఛ చైనాం భద్రంతే పాణీం గృహ్ణీష్వ పాణినా ||
इयं सीता मम सुता सहधर्म चारी तव
प्रतीच्छ चैनां भद्रंते पाणीं गृह्णीष्व पाणिना ॥
ಇಯಂ ಸೀತಾ ಮಮ ಸುತಾ ಸಹಧರ್ಮ ಚಾರೀ ತವ
ಪ್ರತೀಚ್ಛ ಚೈನಾಂ ಭದ್ರಂತೇ ಪಾಣೀಂ ಗೃಹ್ಣೀಷ್ವ ಪಾಣಿನಾ ||

Happy Reading

om tat sat