Who was Marich and what role did he play?

Marich was Ravan's uncle (mama) and a powerful demon. Ravan forced him to take the form of a golden deer to lure Ram away from the hut. When Ram shot him with an arrow, Marich cried out in Ram's voice to trick Sita and Laxman.

What is Laxman Rekha?

Laxman Rekha is the protective line drawn by Laxman around their hut before leaving to find Ram. He instructed Sita not to cross this line. Ravan, disguised as a sage, tricked Sita into crossing it, after which he abducted her. It symbolizes the boundary of safety and propriety.

Who was Jatayu and how did he try to save Sita?

Jatayu was an aged vulture king and a friend of King Dasharatha. When he heard Sita's cries in the sky, he fought fiercely with Ravan, destroying his chariot and killing his charioteer. However, Ravan ultimately cut his wings with a sword. Jatayu held on to life to tell Ram about Sita's abduction.

Why did Shurpanakha's insult lead to Sita's abduction?

Shurpanakha, Ravan's sister, was disfigured by Laxman when she tried to attack Sita. She first sent her brothers Khar-Dushan with an army, but Ram destroyed them. Then she went to Lanka and described Sita's beauty to Ravan, igniting his desire to abduct her.

RamayanaValmiki Ramayana, Aranyakanda

सीता हरण

Abduction of Sita

SitaRavanRamLaxmanJatayuMarich

Vanvas ke dauran Ram, Sita aur Laxman Panchvati mein niwas kar rahe the. Panchvati Godavari nadi ke tat par ek ramaniya sthan tha. Wahan ve rishi-muniyon ki seva karte aur shantipurnak jeevan vyatit karte the. Parantu Ravan ki behen Shurpanakha ne ek din Panchvati mein aakar Ram ko dekha aur unke roop par mohit ho gayi.

Shurpanakha ne Ram se vivah ka prastaav rakha, parantu Ram ne muskurakar kaha ki ve vivahit hain aur unhe Laxman ke paas bhej diya. Laxman ne bhi use asweekar kar diya. Krodhit Shurpanakha ne Sita par aakraman karne ka prayas kiya. Tab Laxman ne talwar se Shurpanakha ke naak aur kaan kaat diye. Shurpanakha roti-chillati apne bhai Khar-Dushan ke paas gayi.

Khar-Dushan ne chaudah hazaar rakshasson ki sena lekar Ram par aakraman kiya, parantu Ram ne akele hi sampoorn rakshass sena ka samhar kar diya. Shurpanakha tab Lanka jakar apne bhai Ravan ke paas pahunchi aur usne Sita ke adwitiya saundarya ka varnan kiya. Ravan ke mann mein Sita ko paane ki lalsa jaag uthi.

Ravan ne apne mama Marich ke paas jakar use swarn mrig ka roop dharan karne ko kaha. Marich ne Ravan ko chetawni di ki Ram se shatrutha karna mrityu ko nimantran dena hai, parantu Ravan ne uski baat nahi maani. Marich ne vivash hokar ek atyant sundar swarn mrig ka roop dharan kiya aur Panchvati ke sameep ghoomne laga.

Sita ne us swarn mrig ko dekha aur uske saundarya par mugdh ho gayin. Unhone Ram se us mrig ko pakadkar lane ki vinti ki. Ram ne Laxman ko Sita ki raksha ka dayitva saumpkar mrig ke peeche gaye. Bahut door jaane par Ram ne mrig par baan chalaya. Marich ghayal hokar Ram ki awaaz mein "Ha Laxman! Ha Site!" chillaya.

Yeh awaaz sunkar Sita atyant chintit ho gayin aur Laxman se Ram ki sahayata ke liye jaane ko kaha. Laxman ne bataya ki yeh mayavi rakshass ki chaal hai aur Ram ko koi khatra nahi ho sakta. Parantu Sita ne krodhit hokar Laxman par kade vachan kahe. Vivash Laxman ne kutiya ke charon aur ek rekha khinchi — jise "Laxman Rekha" kaha jaata hai — aur Sita se kaha ki is rekha ko paar na karein. Phir Laxman Ram ki khoj mein chale gaye.

Yahi woh avsar tha jiski Ravan pratiksha kar raha tha. Usne ek vriddh sadhu ka vesh dharan kiya aur Sita ki kutiya ke sameep aakar bhiksha maangi. Sita ne Laxman Rekha ke bheetar se bhiksha dene ka prayas kiya, parantu Ravan ne chhal se unhe rekha paar karwa liya. Jaise hi Sita ne rekha paar ki, Ravan ne apna asli roop prakat kiya aur Sita ko balpoorvak apne Pushpak Viman mein baithakar Lanka ki aur ud chala.

Sita vilaap karti rahin aur Ram-Laxman ko pukarti rahin. Aakash marg mein Griddhraj Jatayu ne Sita ki pukaar suni. Jatayu Raja Dasharatha ke mitra the. Us vriddh pakshiraj ne Ravan ko rokne ke liye apne pranon ki baazi laga di. Ravan aur Jatayu ke beech bhayankar yuddh hua. Jatayu ne Ravan ke rath ko tod diya aur uske sarathi ko maar giraya, parantu ant mein Ravan ne apni talwar se Jatayu ke pankh kaat diye.

Jatayu ghayal hokar prithvi par gir pade, parantu unhone Ram ko sandesh dene ke liye apne pranon ko roke rakha. Sita ne marg mein apne aabhushan neeche giraye taaki Ram ko unka pata lag sake. Ravan Sita ko Lanka le gaya aur Ashok Vatika mein rakh diya.

॥ इति ॥

Significance

Sita Haran ki katha anek gahre sandesh deti hai. Yeh prasang dikhata hai ki burai kitni bhi shaktishali ho, woh chhal aur kapat ka sahara leti hai. Ravan, jo teenon lokon ka vijeta tha, use bhi Sita ko paane ke liye chhadm vesh dharan karna pada — yeh darshata hai ki adharmi kabhi seedhe marg se nahi chalta.

Jatayu ka balidaan hume sikhata hai ki dharma ki raksha ke liye pranon ka tyag bhi karna pade to peeche nahi hatna chahiye. Ek vriddh pakshi ne Lankapati Ravan jaise mahabali ke viruddh yuddh kiya — yeh sahas aur kartavyanishtha ka sarvochch udaharan hai.

Laxman Rekha ka prasang hume sikhata hai ki maryada ka ullanghan karne par sankat avashya aata hai. Yeh rekha keval bhautik nahi, apitu jeevan mein suraksha aur dharma ki seemaon ka pratik hai.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

Valmiki Ramayana, Aranyakanda

Key Characters

Sita, Ravan, Ram, Laxman, Jatayu, Marich

Tradition

This story is part of the Ramayana tradition, one of the pillars of Hindu history and spiritual wisdom.