Sri Sita Rama kalyanam !

Marriage of Rama and Sita !!

II सीता राम कल्याणं II

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