Later on, the couple is making a yatra across various parts of the world. She knows her husband is fully capable of defending Himself, as He is the greatest bow-warrior in the world, but she does not want to take any chances. As He is leaving, Sita prays to various gods to protect Rama in the different directions. In one section of the Ramayana history, Rama is about to leave home to visit the royal palace, occupied by his father. Praying for protection in the various directions From her incarnation as the daughter of King Janaka, we see the variety of ways that she serves her husband, who correspondingly appeared as Shri Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha. Lakshmi Devi has no other interest than worship. The two are identical in that sense two sides to the same concept. God is the person worshiped, and the goddess of fortune is the topmost person offering the worship. The names may vary, but the standing is the same. Just as Shri Krishna appears as Narayana, Rama, Narasimha, and so forth, Lakshmi Devi may appear as Radha, Rukmini, or Sita. This is always the same person, though the manifestation may be different. The second personality is usually the goddess of fortune. Just as there is variety in food and music, though the origin is identical in terms of ingredients for consumption and the notes used for composition, so devotees interact with God based on their understanding of Him and also their preference. The idea is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan, is not limited in His interaction. If you are worshiping God, who is a person, why is there someone alongside Him? Why is the same God depicted differently, with multiple names? Why doesn’t everyone follow the same kind of worship? A person may wonder as to the origin and purpose.
Travel to different regions, where the local families inherited their specific style of immersion into the devotional culture, and you will see differences in the altar setup, the rituals performed, the holidays celebrated, and perhaps even the mantras repeated and sung together, in the congregational way known as sankirtana.Ī common presence is the two personalities on the altar. In the Vaishnava tradition of spirituality, there is variety to the worship. Kaikeyyāḥ priyakāmārthaṃ taṃ rāmaṃ nābhyaṣecayat।
Kāmārtastu mahātejāḥ pitā daśarathassvayam।। “Being under the control of passion and lust, Rama’s father, Maharaja Dasharatha, wanted to fulfill Kaikeyi’s cherished desire, thus he did not go through with Rama’s installation ceremony.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 47.12)ĭownload this episode (right click and save) Home › the five › Five Ways Sita Devi Exhibits The Eternal Devotion Of The Goddess Of Fortuneįive Ways Sita Devi Exhibits The Eternal Devotion Of The Goddess Of Fortune