This one's a brief post after nearly 7 years on this blog.
I once heard a scholar say that during certain times in ancient India, it was acceptable or even the norm for the devar (originally devara or roughly backup-groom in Samskrita, and simply meaning the younger brother of a woman's husband in modern Hindi) to marry his elder brother's widow if she so desired for security or other such reasons.
In the Ramayana, there are two examples of devar for us to compare and contrast from the exact same time period:
When Vali is presumed dead, Sugriva takes his place as king and also marries his wife Tara (not by Sugriva's deceit or for lust from either). This is per the societal norm of the times. That it got very complicated when Vali turned up alive is another matter. Note that it was not considered acceptable then to marry a younger brother's widow.
The scenario of Rama's death never arises in the Ramayana, but in Lakshmana we have a devar who would never even have considered marrying Sita whom he worshipped as much as he did Rama. Even if for her own security or other important reason, Lakshmana would have done everything else in his power but marry her.
Valmiki states that Lakshmana had never even seen her face and among all her jewels that were discovered after her abduction he was only able to positively identify her toe rings since he respectfully prayed at her feet every morning.
Remember that Rama was around 16 when he married Sita who was around 10. Lakshmana was around 15 and his own wife Urmila (Sita's younger sister) was around 8. I believe Sita was in her late 20s when their 14 year Vanavaasa began. Rama later ruled for around 30,000 years -- Rama Rajya.
While a certain marital societal norm may have existed (unacceptable today, of course), some like Lakshmana held the highest moral values transcending times with transient societal norms not really relevant to them at all.
Note: This comparison isn't intended to sully Sugriva's character, but simply to highlight Lakshmana's.
I once heard a scholar say that during certain times in ancient India, it was acceptable or even the norm for the devar (originally devara or roughly backup-groom in Samskrita, and simply meaning the younger brother of a woman's husband in modern Hindi) to marry his elder brother's widow if she so desired for security or other such reasons.
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| Tara in the Ramayana. Image courtesy: Wikimedia. |
- Sugriva, Vali's brother
- Lakshmana, Rama's brother
When Vali is presumed dead, Sugriva takes his place as king and also marries his wife Tara (not by Sugriva's deceit or for lust from either). This is per the societal norm of the times. That it got very complicated when Vali turned up alive is another matter. Note that it was not considered acceptable then to marry a younger brother's widow.
The scenario of Rama's death never arises in the Ramayana, but in Lakshmana we have a devar who would never even have considered marrying Sita whom he worshipped as much as he did Rama. Even if for her own security or other important reason, Lakshmana would have done everything else in his power but marry her.
Valmiki states that Lakshmana had never even seen her face and among all her jewels that were discovered after her abduction he was only able to positively identify her toe rings since he respectfully prayed at her feet every morning.
Remember that Rama was around 16 when he married Sita who was around 10. Lakshmana was around 15 and his own wife Urmila (Sita's younger sister) was around 8. I believe Sita was in her late 20s when their 14 year Vanavaasa began. Rama later ruled for around 30,000 years -- Rama Rajya.
While a certain marital societal norm may have existed (unacceptable today, of course), some like Lakshmana held the highest moral values transcending times with transient societal norms not really relevant to them at all.
Note: This comparison isn't intended to sully Sugriva's character, but simply to highlight Lakshmana's.
Rama later ruled for 30,000/- years?
ReplyDeleteYes, approximately. Not a typo.
DeleteI hadn't really thought about this aspect of devar-bhabhi relationship. Nice take.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do find it strange that Lakshmana only saw Sita's feet. For example, when Shurpanakha attacks Sita, Lakshmana cuts off the rakshasi's nose. How is this practically possible?
I believe Shurpanakha is told by Rama that he is alreadt married and that she could propose Lakshmana instead. Funnily enough, Lakshmana is already married too. But in his focus on duty, Lakshmana is enraged by her proposal and chops her nose off. I don't think he even waited for her to do anything more.
ReplyDelete