Kavita Kane's Sita's Sister (2014) to examine Urmila's character that was neglected and overlooked in [22][23], The Post-Vedic texts attest that Urvashi falls in love with handsome and heroic Pururavas and the latter also reciprocates his feelings for her. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. They are identified as seven sisters. She declines it, nevertheless, as she had already promised Mitra that she would court him. He asked Yamuna to make a way for him to cross the river, which she did by creating a passage. Her father Janaka had earned the sobriquet Videha due to his ability to transcend body consciousness; Sita is therefore also known as Vaidehi.[17]. Kamsa (Sanskrit: , romanized:Kasa) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. Thereafter, Sanjna tried her best to keep her eyes open, however she flickered them angering Surya again who proclaimed that her daughter would be Yamuna. According to the legend attested in the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana, Vashishtha's spirit is consoled by Brahma after his death by telling him that he won't be born again in a womb. A cluster of goddesses - Devdutt [12], Some time after the wedding, Kaikeyi, Rama's stepmother, compelled Dasharatha to make Bharata king, prompted by the coaxing of her maid Manthara, and forced Rama to leave Ayodhya and spend a period of exile in the forests of Dandaka and later Panchavati. He had sixty thousand sons. Myers, Bethany. Following their birth, Urvashi suggests Pururavas to perform penance to transform himself into a Gandharva and ascend to heaven. On the same new moon each year, Hindus celebrate Diwali. Janaka knew that the bow of Shiva was not even liftable, let alone stringable for ordinary mortals, and for selfish people it was not even approachable. [13], The Brahmana text Maitrayani Samhita narrates: Yami grieved instantly the death of Yama, the first mortal to die. Garuda | Hindu mythology | Britannica Daughter of Drupad, sister of Dhristadyumna. [4], In Krishna's birth-story, Krishna's father Vasudeva was carrying the new-born Krishna to safety was crossing the Yamuna river. With Jarasandha's support, Kamsa became even more powerful. [10], Yami also addresses a hymn to Yama in the Rig Veda, describing various drinks offered to dying sacrificers in the after-life. Their mother is Leda, a being who was seduced by Zeus who had taken the form of a swan. Shinta was saved from the raging fire by the gods of heaven.[32][33]. Kamsa was born to King Ugrasena and Queen Padmavati. In Puranic mythology, Kritikas are identified as wet nurses to the son of Shiva and Shakti, known as Murugan in Tamil tradition. According to the Hindu mythology, tying a sacred thread (Mauli Rakhi) around a brother's wrist meant that may god protect him from the battles to come. [6][7][8] Urvashi is remains a prominent figure in later texts. The concept is known in varied forms across South India. In some versions of the epic, Maya Sita, an illusion created by Agni, takes Sita's place and is abducted by Ravana and suffers his captivity, while the real Sita hides in the fire. Shinta is believed to be the incarnation of Btari Widawati, the wife of Lord Vishnu. [17] As the wife of Rama, she is called Ram. Siblings Ties In Indian Mythology August 15, 2019 #Sibling Trio Mahabharata is primarily concerned with the enmity of two clans of cousins, but there is also mention of the affectionate sibling love between Subhadra, Krishna and Balaram. Among Shani's other relatives are his sistersthe goddess Kali, destroyer of evil forces, and the goddess of the hunt Putri Bhadra. After the war, in some versions of the epic, Rama asks Sita to undergo Agni Pariksha (an ordeal of fire), by which she proves her purity, before she is accepted by Rama, which for the first time makes his brother Lakshmana get angry at him. The Pleiades: the celestial herd of ancient timekeepers. - arXiv.org Kamsa accepted this proposition and spared Devaki because she herself was not a threat to him. The most popular of these, at least in English, is Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis The Palace of Illusions. [d] Arjuna, a prince belonging to Chandravamsha and the spiritual son of Indra, comes to heaven to learn under Gandharva Chitrasena. "Why the healing gods are twins". Language has evolved to consider everything from the uniqueness of the feminine experience to what it means to be female anatomically. When Sita is abducted by the King of Lanka, a demon with 10 heads named Ravana, Rama goes through extreme efforts to save his wife, kill Ravana, and return to his kingdom on a new-moon night. In Goa, they are worshipped in a festival called Katyo, Khedekar says. Yogamaya was tasked to be born as the daughter of Yashoda. The Morjai deity was earlier known as Kalvali Devi, and her existence predates the other six deities by more than 1,500 years. So surprised when he opened his eyes, he heard the cry of a baby in a sinking ketupat floating in the river. Yamuna's iconographic depiction is seen on temple doorjambs, paired with that of Ganga (the goddess of the Ganges), since the Gupta era. One night when Urvashi and Pururavas are busy making love, the Gandharvas abduct Urvashi's pet lambs that were tied to her bed, and hearing their cries, Urvashi rebukes Pururavas for not protecting them. Assuming her true form, Yogamaya proclaimed to Kamsa, "The eighth child, who shall kill you, has been born. Because they took care of him, he is also known as Kartikeya. Seetha Amman Kovil, Nhe Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Maricha, his uncle, disguised himself as a magnificent deer to lure Sita. [6], The name Kalindi may be derived from her association with Yama, the god of death and darkness as Kala. [9][7] Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (18611941) has also written a poem about Urvashi. Ramawijaya, who was studying at the Brahmin Yogiswara, was advised to take part in the contest. This was the first time that she saw Krishna whom she marries in later life. Of the five virgins, Kunti and Draupadi are characters from the Mahabharata, and Ahalya, Tara, and Mandodari are from the Ramayana. And in literature there has been a resurgence of feminist retellings of myths, especially in Classical mythology. Krishna was saved from Kamsa's wrath and raised by Vasudeva's relative Nanda and Yasoda, a cowherd couple. The male bird was reborn as the washerman. She is the daughter of Himavat and granddaughter of Brahma. He rose from his throne and wanted to behead Kanun. [8] Yama and Yami are a divine pair of creator deities. Very long ago, there were three sisters who lived in a field. Grief-sickened, he searches for her across the country and finds her disguised as a swan in a lake. This is why people first pray to Alakshmi to go away from their homes, taking all the negativity with her. The king beseeches her to return, but she harshly refuses, complaining that he made too much love with her. Now, the Kritikas have an interesting story. The king of the country named Janaka took and made her an adopted daughter, with the name Shinta. The Hindu mythology also places high regard to the chaste bond of a brother and sister. To welcome him, the villagers of the kingdom light lamps and candles. Probably, the seven sisters resemble the seven stars in Kruttikapunj (cluster of stars). Hanuman wants an immediate union of Rama and Sita and thus he proposes to Sita to ride on his back. 'lunar dynasty'), a legendary dynasty in ancient India. Both were adopted by King Shantanu as babies abandoned in the woods. He supplicates her to return but she refuses. Yamuna first appears in the g veda as Yami, where she urges cohabitation with Yama her brother to perpetuate the human race. It can have multiple meanings. In the scriptures like the Puranas (Hindu sacred texts), as well as some myths, Ganga is the daughter of King Himavat and Queen Menavati, who were also the parents of Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva and Ganga's sister. In other words, they told stories. The legend is narrated in many scriptures. Seeing his sorrow, Urvashi reveals that she is pregnant with their child and instructs him to return to the same place the next year so that they could spend that night together. In Goa, it exists in the tale of the sisters Kelbai, Mahamaya, Lairai, Mirabai (or Milagres), Morjai, Sheetalai, Adadeepa and their brother Khetoba. Experiencing the heat of the sun, Balarama felt a need to take a bath in the river. [16][17], In later Hindu texts, unlike the Vedas, Vashishtha is described as a Manasputra (mind-created son) of the god Brahma. Due to this, Jayanta is cursed to be born as bamboo, and Urvashi is cursed to take birth on Earth as a woman named Madhavi. The only difference here is that stories from Hindu mythology born thousands of years ago including religious epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata remain largely unchanged compared to the ones told in India today. [5] This etymologically explains why their constellation, the Dioskouroi or Gemini, is only seen during one half of the year, as the twins split their time between the underworld and Mount Olympus. In the Uttara Kanda, following their return to Ayodhya, Rama was crowned as the king with Sita by his side. Yama explained that the younger brother had lived in the ashram of a sage on Yamuna's banks and bathed in the sacred river for two months. [13][14][15], Urvashi plays a significant role in the birth of the sagesVasishtha and Agastyadue to which she is sometimes referred to as their mother. [1] Yamuna is known as Yami in early texts, while in later literature, she is called Kalindi. She is regarded as the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. "Yami" and "Kalindi" redirect here. But before it was realized, Ravana suddenly canceled his intention because he thought who knew his child would become a beautiful child. Sita refuses as she does not want to run away like a thief; instead she wants her husband Rama to come and defeat Ravana to save her. We have The Saptarishis or The Seven Sages. Fascinating Indian Myths and Legends - Culture Trip Thus Sita was forced into exile a second time. Ravana was furious. The Vedic hymn suggest that she has left her husband Pururavas after living for four years with him. [4] Pollux is the son of Zeus (demigod). Upon rescue, Rama makes Sita undergo a trial by fire to prove her chastity. The youngest was so small she could not yet walk; she crawled along the ground, dressed in green. This child would be raised by his surrogate mother, Rohini, and named Balarama, Krishna's elder brother. Earth cult & tale of the seven sisters | Goa News - Times of India, Musk on meeting PM Modi and bringing Starlink to India, Live: Yoga has become global movement, PM says in video msg, Live: PM Modi-led Yoga event at UN creates Guinness World Record, Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. [1], In the Puranic literature, Yamuna is described as the daughter of the sun god Surya (though some say that she was the daughter of Brahma) and his wife Saranyu (Sanjna in later literature), the goddess of the clouds, and the twin sister of Yama, the god of death. in various parts of the state, they do not have any link to the concept of saptamatrukas. According to the Padma-puran, Sita's exile during her pregnancy was because of a curse during her childhood. 9. 25 October 2022 View Most Indian myths and legends have been derived from two of its epic poems, Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as from the ancient Hindu texts, Puranas. [3] Another legend describes that Krishna defeated and banished the serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna. They can be seen as representations of a dualistic worldview. For other uses, see, 5th century terracotta sculpture of Yamuna with attendants, "The Genealogical Table of the Family of Krishna", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yamuna_in_Hinduism&oldid=1161657526, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Sanskrit-language text, Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 24 June 2023, at 05:05. Lord Krishna in Hinduism: Legend & History - Study.com Sure enough, when Ravana was on an overseas service, his empress gave birth to a baby girl with a very beautiful face glowing like the full moon. Meanwhile, Urvashi's presence is missed in heaven. She is imprisoned in the garden of Ashoka Vatika, in Lanka, until she is rescued by Rama, who slays her captor. After being 17 years old, Sinta made a commotion all the youth, both domestic and foreign cadets because of her beauty. [25] Sita had caught a pair of divine parrots, which were from Valmiki's ashram, when she was young. New Catholic Encyclopedia. Realizing this duplicity, Padmavati curses Drumila to hell for his sin. [23] The Thai version of the Ramayana, however, tells of Sita walking on the fire, of her own accord, to feel clean, as opposed to jumping in it. A pacified Balarama ordered the river to flood the forest so he could bathe and play in her waters, and the river complied. She has a brother named Bhamandal who is kidnapped soon after his birth by a deity due to animosity in a previous life. Cross-cousin marriage and hinduism - Hinduism Stack Exchange Following this, Ugrasena was reinstated as the King of Mathura. While the elder brother was sentenced to Naraka (hell), the younger was granted Svarga (heaven). Kripa and Kripi both scholars, the brother a guru in the Kuru court and one of the eight chiranjeevis and the sister who married Dronacharya. He is thrown into a garden of Rathnupur where he is dropped into the arms of King Chandravardhan of Rathnupur. Monica Khanna Jhalani in her book Revisioning Indian Mythology points out how patriarchy used mythology to popularize the ideologically constructed identity of women in Indian society. When she arrives partially dressed, his brother Dushasana mocks her chastity on account of her many husbands, and starts unrolling her ekavastra (a saree without a petticoat or blouse). Rama and his wife Sita live in the forest, with his stepbrother Laksmana. Urvashi would return once every year to him and bore six sonsAyus, Shrutayus, Satyayus, Raya, Vijaya, and Jaya. This is a list of famous pairs in mythology or legend or history : Lovers Acis and Galatea ( Greek) Aeneas and Dido ( Roman) Alcestis and Admetus ( Greek) Alcyone and Ceyx ( Greek) Apollo and Daphne ( Greek) Apollo and Hyacinth ( Greek) Ares / Mars and Aphrodite / Venus ( Greek) - ( Roman) Arjuna and Draupadi ( Hindu) Sita and Lakshmana willingly renounced the comforts of the palace and joined Rama in exile. As there was continuously daytime at the start of creation, Yami was unable to understand the lapse of time since Yama's death. Raksha Bandhan 2021: Famous tales of brother-sister duos in Hindu mythology We do not lend the hearth quite the importance that our ancestors did, Greek or otherwise, Stephen Fry writes in Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold. Yam makes a variety of arguments, including continuing the mortal line, that Tvashtar created them as a couple in the womb, and that Dyaush and Prithvi are famous for their incest. As a result of her infidelity, Mitra curses Urvashi to become the wife of a mortal man, which eventually causes Mitra's seed to fall from her womb. These shifts all stem from retelling age-old tales through a feminist lens. When Sita reaches adulthood, Janaka organizes a Swayamvara in Janakpurdham with the condition that Sita would marry only that person who would be able to string Pinaka, the bow of the god Shiva. While in exile, the trio settles in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. The actions, reactions, and instincts manifested by Sita at every juncture in a long and arduous life are deemed exemplary. One day, a man questions Sita's purity and in order to prove her innocence and maintain his own and the kingdom's dignity, Rama sends Sita into the forest near the sage Valmiki's ashram. [9] In this story, the wife of Ugrasena (named Padmavati in some texts) is seen by a supernatural being named Dramila, who transforms himself into the form of Ugrasena and inseminates her. [7], Various Puranas narrate the greatness of bathing in the Yamuna. After Urvashi is cursed to descend on the Earth and become the wife of a mortal, she marries Pururavas on some conditions, with the most important being that he would never appear naked before her apart from during coitus. The mystery of Kamsas birth revealed. Sita, who was pregnant, was given refuge in the hermitage of Valmiki, where she delivered twin sons named Kusha and Lava. Lakshmana cut Shurpanakha's nose and sent her back. He judges the souls of men, while his sister judges the souls of women. Yama argues that their ancestors, "the Gandharva in the waters and the watery maiden," as a reason not to commit incest, that Mitra-Varuna are strict in their ordinances, and that they have spies everywhere. Similarly, renowned Indian feminists, Kamla Bhasin and Ritu Menon, note that after the famed 1980s adaptation of the epic, with Sita as the ideal: [the] overarching ideology [of] female dispensability, violence against women in India whether physical, sexual or emotional remains normalised. Top 10 Interesting Facts About Hindu Mythology - Ancient History Lists Being the sister of Vasuki, she has extensive familial connection to the rest of the Nagas in Hinduism, including Adishesha and Takshaka, with Astika being her beloved son. The birds were talking about a story of Sri Ram heard in Valmiki's ashram, which intrigued Sita. While devotees may have linked all of them out of affection, historically there can be no link whatsoever, he opines. In an aboriginal tale, the same constellation represents the twin lizards who created the plants and animals and saved women from evil spirits. He is also depicted anthropomorphically, with wings and hawklike features.