Sunayana (Ramayana)

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For Hindi film, see Sunayana (film).

Sunayana
Queen of Mithila
SpouseJanaka
IssueSita
Urmila
HouseMithila
DynastyVideha (by marriage)
ReligionHinduism

Sunayana (Sanskrit: सुनयना, IAST: Sunāyānā) is the queen of Videha in the Hindu epic Ramayana.[1] Sunayana is the queen consort of Janaka, the king of Videha, who ruled from Mithila. She is the mother of the Sita, the female protagonist of the epic and Urmila.[2]

Etymology[edit]

The name Sunayana is of Sanskrit origin, and could be divided into Su meaning good, and nayana, meaning eyes. Thus, her name means 'beautiful eyes'.[3]

Legend[edit]

Birth[edit]

While Valmiki remains silent on her parentage and refers to her as Seeradhwaja Janaka, the later addition of Ramayana, refers to her as Sunayana and she is considered as the daughter of a serpent who was an ardent devotee of Shiva.[4]

Marriage and children[edit]

The marriage ceremony of Sunayana's daughters Sita and Urmila with Rama and Lakshmana

Sunayana was married to King Janaka, who ruled over the Videha region from his capital Mithila.[5]

According to Ramayana, Janaka and Sunayana found Sita while ploughing as a part of a yagna and adopted her. Sita is considered as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi.[6] She later gave birth to Urmila on Jaya ekadashi, who is an avatar of goddess Nagalakshmi.[7][8]

When Sita reached adulthood, Janaka conducted her svayamvara, which was won by Rama. Alongside the wedding of Rama and Sita, Urmila got married to Rama's younger brother Lakshmana. According to Bundeli Ramayana, it is Sunayana who gave the ring and chudamani to Sita.[4][9][10]

In popular culture[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Unveiling the lesser spoken about roles of women in Ramayana". Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ^ Mishra, V. (1979). Cultural Heritage of Mithila. Allahabad: Mithila Prakasana. p. 13. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Ramayana | Summary, Characters, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b Bundeli Ramayana
  5. ^ Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (2006). Political History of Ancient India. Cosmo Publications. ISBN 81-307-0291-6.
  6. ^ Sutherland, Sally J. "Sita and Draupadi, Aggressive Behavior and Female Role-Models in the Sanskrit Epics" (PDF). University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  7. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (24 June 2012). "Urmila, Urmilā, Ūrmilā: 9 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  8. ^ Dictionary of Hindu Lord and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
  9. ^ "Book 2 (Ayodhya-kanda): Chapter 27 - Princess Sita entreats Rama to allow her to accompany him". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  10. ^ Smriti Dewan (2021). Urmila: The Forgotten Princess. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9789390252916.
  11. ^ Dalrymple, William (23 August 2008). "All Indian life is here". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  12. ^ "StarPlus' Siya Ke Ram: Everything you should know about the show". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush". PINKVILLA. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Shrimad Ramayan Review, Episodes 1 and 2: A cinematic visual spectacle on small screen". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

Further reading[edit]

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