Doubts and Discussions from the Ramayan - Page 42

Originally posted by: chen2chic

This is from one of the discussions in another forums on the internet. (www.ramanuja.org) Am trying to locate the original texts though:

The concept of Maya-Sita is described in Madhva's Mahabharata commentary:
The person kidnapped by Ravana was only a makeshift image of Sita. The actual person of Sita went to Kailasa. The fact of Sita's Prakrti only being taken away by Ravana is mentioned in the Kurma-purana, Varaha-purana, Brahmavaivarta-purana, Bhavisyottara-purana, and Agni-purana. It is also suggestively mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana by the statement "pravekshhyaami hutaashanam." It was Agni who managed to place a prakkrti of Sita and enable Sita to go to Kailasa. This is suggested by this statement of
Valmiki Ramayana. The other Puranas state it more clearly:
Brahmavaivarta:
agniryogena siitaayah maayaasiitaaM cakaara ha
Varahapurana:
shivasthaame 'vasahdevi tatra maam dhyaayati sadaa
AdbhutaRamayana:
agnau ahashyarupena varsam tistha mamaajnaya
ravanasya vadante maam purvavat praapsyase shube
The events of Sri Rama being misled by Marica, Sita longing for the deer, Sita being kidnapped by Ravana are merely lokavidambana. These do not indicate any ignorance or difficulty on the part of Sri Rama and Sita.
Regarding the previous incarnations of MayaSita, there is some info that she was originally Vedavati then MayaSita then Draupadi.
The following story is told in the Puranic Encyclopedia from Devi-mahatmya:
When Rama and Laksmana were in exile in the forest with Sita, Agni came to Rama and told him in private thus: "Oh Rama, You have incarnated on earth to kill Ravana. The time for that is drawing nigh and ere long Ravana would carry away Sita. It is not proper that Sita, the incarnation of Laksmi should be touched by Ravana. Therefore I shall keep Sita safe with me and I am giving you a phantom Sita to be with You in Her stead." Sri Rama took Mayasita from Agni without even Laksmana knowing it and handed over the original Sita to the custody of Agni.
At that time (of the fire ordeal), Agni taking back MayaSita gave the real Sita to Rama , unscathed by fire. Then when MayaSita was abandoned by Rama and Laksmana she bowed down before Sri Rama and Agni and asked them thus: "What am I to do now? Where should I go?" They advised her to go to Puskara
and do penance and blessed her saying that at the end of her penance she would become Svarga-laksmi. ParamaSiva was pleased by her penance and appearing before her asked her what boon she wanted. MayaSita who had become Svarga-laksmi by then requested Siva to give her a husband. She repeated the request "Patim dehi" five times and Siva said she would have five husbands in her next
life as the daughter of the king of Pancala with the name Krishnaa.

Originally posted by: chen2chic

This is from one of the discussions in another forums on the internet. (www.ramanuja.org) Am trying to locate the original texts though:

The concept of Maya-Sita is described in Madhva's Mahabharata commentary:
The person kidnapped by Ravana was only a makeshift image of Sita. The actual person of Sita went to Kailasa. The fact of Sita's Prakrti only being taken away by Ravana is mentioned in the Kurma-purana, Varaha-purana, Brahmavaivarta-purana, Bhavisyottara-purana, and Agni-purana. It is also suggestively mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana by the statement "pravekshhyaami hutaashanam." It was Agni who managed to place a prakkrti of Sita and enable Sita to go to Kailasa. This is suggested by this statement of
Valmiki Ramayana. The other Puranas state it more clearly:
Brahmavaivarta:
agniryogena siitaayah maayaasiitaaM cakaara ha
Varahapurana:
shivasthaame 'vasahdevi tatra maam dhyaayati sadaa
AdbhutaRamayana:
agnau ahashyarupena varsam tistha mamaajnaya
ravanasya vadante maam purvavat praapsyase shube
The events of Sri Rama being misled by Marica, Sita longing for the deer, Sita being kidnapped by Ravana are merely lokavidambana. These do not indicate any ignorance or difficulty on the part of Sri Rama and Sita.
Regarding the previous incarnations of MayaSita, there is some info that she was originally Vedavati then MayaSita then Draupadi.
The following story is told in the Puranic Encyclopedia from Devi-mahatmya:
When Rama and Laksmana were in exile in the forest with Sita, Agni came to Rama and told him in private thus: "Oh Rama, You have incarnated on earth to kill Ravana. The time for that is drawing nigh and ere long Ravana would carry away Sita. It is not proper that Sita, the incarnation of Laksmi should be touched by Ravana. Therefore I shall keep Sita safe with me and I am giving you a phantom Sita to be with You in Her stead." Sri Rama took Mayasita from Agni without even Laksmana knowing it and handed over the original Sita to the custody of Agni.
At that time (of the fire ordeal), Agni taking back MayaSita gave the real Sita to Rama , unscathed by fire. Then when MayaSita was abandoned by Rama and Laksmana she bowed down before Sri Rama and Agni and asked them thus: "What am I to do now? Where should I go?" They advised her to go to Puskara
and do penance and blessed her saying that at the end of her penance she would become Svarga-laksmi. ParamaSiva was pleased by her penance and appearing before her asked her what boon she wanted. MayaSita who had become Svarga-laksmi by then requested Siva to give her a husband. She repeated the request "Patim dehi" five times and Siva said she would have five husbands in her next
life as the daughter of the king of Pancala with the name Krishnaa.

Originally posted by: rajnish_here

I missed a lot of post here😭, and i will continue to miss many more learning post because of my exams 😭 this week 😕, but thanks everyonoe for your input here, i will learn from it a lot when i'll go again in this thread😊

Originally posted by: ananyacool

All the best for ur 'xams👍🏼 , Rajnish.

Originally posted by: rajnish_here

I missed a lot of post here😭, and i will continue to miss many more learning post because of my exams 😭 this week 😕, but thanks everyonoe for your input here, i will learn from it a lot when i'll go again in this thread😊

Originally posted by: Vibhishna

I too have read some excerpts from the Puranas but was not sure if it was really mentioned that way in the Puranas.

I remember reading from the Kurma Purana that Sita Devi knowing Ravan's evil intentions, prayed to Agni Dev and he appeared. Agni Dev created a Maya Sita and took the real one under his care. During the Agni Pravesha, the Maya Sita dissolved in flames while the real one came out of it.

Among what I had read from the Agni Purana and the Varaha Purana, I do not recall reading anything about Maya Sita.

Can anyone enlighten me further on this regard?

I am confused. How did Kurma & Varaha puranas have any description of Sita, since she happened several yugas after the above 2?

Also, since the Puranas have the dasha avatar, is Rama's avatar described there? Is it more or less detailed than Valmiki, and how does it differ from it, if at all?

Originally posted by: Chandraketu

I am confused. How did Kurma & Varaha puranas have any description of Sita, since she happened several yugas after the above 2?

Also, since the Puranas have the dasha avatar, is Rama's avatar described there? Is it more or less detailed than Valmiki, and how does it differ from it, if at all?

All the best, Rajnish👍🏼

Chen2chic, thanks for all the info. However, Sita's next birth in the Dwapar yuga was as Rukmini, not Draupadi, as Godisone seems to imply. Again, I'll avoid hijacking the thread in that direction.

Some doubts from today's episode:

1. How did Rama & Sita find time for a private conversation as they were sitting on a throne, the center of all the attraction?

2. In the original, Rama offered the yuvraj post toLakshman, not Bharat. It was only after Lakshman kept declining it that Rama offered it to Bharat. In the episode today, the reverse is somewhat shown. Another side note - if when an yuvraj is crowned, isn't his wife supposed to be crowned yuvrani with him, if he happens to be married?

3. Precap for tomorrow's episode - I don't like the slapstick depiction of Hanuman as he tears apart the beads given to him by Sita. I can't conceive of Hanuman being that disrespectful!

Originally posted by: chen2chic

This is from one of the discussions in another forums on the internet. (www.ramanuja.org) Am trying to locate the original texts though:

The concept of Maya-Sita is described in Madhva's Mahabharata commentary:
The person kidnapped by Ravana was only a makeshift image of Sita. The actual person of Sita went to Kailasa. The fact of Sita's Prakrti only being taken away by Ravana is mentioned in the Kurma-purana, Varaha-purana, Brahmavaivarta-purana, Bhavisyottara-purana, and Agni-purana. It is also suggestively mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana by the statement "pravekshhyaami hutaashanam." It was Agni who managed to place a prakkrti of Sita and enable Sita to go to Kailasa. This is suggested by this statement of
Valmiki Ramayana. The other Puranas state it more clearly:
Brahmavaivarta:
agniryogena siitaayah maayaasiitaaM cakaara ha
Varahapurana:
shivasthaame 'vasahdevi tatra maam dhyaayati sadaa
AdbhutaRamayana:
agnau ahashyarupena varsam tistha mamaajnaya
ravanasya vadante maam purvavat praapsyase shube
The events of Sri Rama being misled by Marica, Sita longing for the deer, Sita being kidnapped by Ravana are merely lokavidambana. These do not indicate any ignorance or difficulty on the part of Sri Rama and Sita.
Regarding the previous incarnations of MayaSita, there is some info that she was originally Vedavati then MayaSita then Draupadi.
The following story is told in the Puranic Encyclopedia from Devi-mahatmya:
When Rama and Laksmana were in exile in the forest with Sita, Agni came to Rama and told him in private thus: "Oh Rama, You have incarnated on earth to kill Ravana. The time for that is drawing nigh and ere long Ravana would carry away Sita. It is not proper that Sita, the incarnation of Laksmi should be touched by Ravana. Therefore I shall keep Sita safe with me and I am giving you a phantom Sita to be with You in Her stead." Sri Rama took Mayasita from Agni without even Laksmana knowing it and handed over the original Sita to the custody of Agni.
At that time (of the fire ordeal), Agni taking back MayaSita gave the real Sita to Rama , unscathed by fire. Then when MayaSita was abandoned by Rama and Laksmana she bowed down before Sri Rama and Agni and asked them thus: "What am I to do now? Where should I go?" They advised her to go to Puskara
and do penance and blessed her saying that at the end of her penance she would become Svarga-laksmi. ParamaSiva was pleased by her penance and appearing before her asked her what boon she wanted. MayaSita who had become Svarga-laksmi by then requested Siva to give her a husband. She repeated the request "Patim dehi" five times and Siva said she would have five husbands in her next
life as the daughter of the king of Pancala with the name Krishnaa.