सीता स्वयंवर

Tadaka vadh aur Vishwamitra ke yagna ki safal raksha ke pashchat, Maharshi Vishwamitra Ram aur Laxman ko lekar Mithila nagri ki aur chal pade. Marg mein unhone Gautam Rishi ki patni Ahilya ko shaap se mukt kiya — Ram ke charan sparsh matra se pashan shila mein parivartit Ahilya punah manavi roop mein prakat ho gayin.

Mithila nagri Videha Raj Janak ki rajdhani thi. Raja Janak atyant dharmatma aur vidwan raja the. Unki putri Sita bhoomi se prakat hui thin — ek din jab Raja Janak hal se khet jot rahe the, to bhoomi se ek divya kanya prakat hui jise unhone apni putri ke roop mein sweekar kiya. Sita ka naam 'Janaki' aur 'Vaidehi' bhi tha.

Raja Janak ke paas Bhagwan Shiv ka ek atyant prachin aur divya dhanush tha jise 'Pinak' kaha jaata tha. Yeh dhanush itna bhari aur shaktishali tha ki use uthana to door, hilana bhi sadharan manushyon ke bas ki baat nahi thi. Raja Janak ne Sita ke vivah ke liye shart rakhi ki jo bhi veer is dhanush par pratyanchha chadha dega, usi se Sita ka vivah hoga.

Swayamvar mein desh-videsh ke anek raja aur maharathi ekatrit hue. Ek-ek karke anek balshali rajaon ne dhanush uthane ka prayas kiya, parantu koi bhi use hila tak nahi saka. Ravan jaise mahabali ne bhi prayas kiya parantu asafal raha. Raja Janak ka hriday dukhi ho gaya aur unhone kaha — "Kya is prithvi par koi veer nahi hai jo is dhanush ko utha sake?"

Tabhi Maharshi Vishwamitra ne Ram ko sanket kiya. Ram ne guru ki aagya shirodharya ki aur sahaj bhav se aage badhe. Unhone sabse pehle us divya dhanush ko pranaam kiya, phir baayen haath se use sahajta se utha liya. Sabha mein sannata chha gaya. Iske baad Ram ne dhanush par pratyanchha chadhane ke liye use moda aur Bhagwan Shiv ka woh mahan Pinak dhanush beech se toot gaya. Uski dhwani itni prachand thi ki dason dishaon mein goonj uthi.

Sita atyant prasann huin. Unke netron mein aanand ke ashru the. Unhone jaimala lekar Ram ke gale mein daal di. Devtaon ne aakash se pushpavarsha ki. Samast sabha "Jai Shri Ram" ke udghosh se goonj uthi. Raja Janak ki aankhon se prasannta ke aansoo bah chale.

Parantu is samay ek vighna utpann hua. Bhagwan Parshuram, jo Bhagwan Vishnu ke avatar aur Shiv bhakt the, dhanush tootne ki dhwani sunkar krodhit hokar aa pahunche. Unhone kaha ki Shiv ka dhanush todne wale ko ve dand denge. Parshuram aur Laxman ke beech teekhi vakyuddh hui. Antatah Ram ne Parshuram ke Vaishnav dhanush par baan chadhakar unke tapobal ko ksheen kar diya, aur Parshuram ne Ram ko Vishnu ka avatar pehchankar pranaam kiya.

Iske baad Ayodhya se Raja Dasharatha, Guru Vashishth aur samast rajparivar Mithila aaye. Atyant dhoomdhaam se charon bhaiyon ka vivah hua — Ram ka Sita se, Laxman ka Urmila se, Bharat ka Mandavi se, aur Shatrughna ka Shrutikirti se. Yeh vivah srishti ke sabse mangalkari vivahon mein se ek mana jaata hai.

Vivah ke pashchat samast baraat Ayodhya lauti. Sampoorn Ayodhya nagri saj-dhaj kar taiyar thi. Praja ne apne priya rajkumar Ram aur unki patni Sita ka bhavya swagat kiya. Ram aur Sita ka yeh milan shashwat prem aur dharma ka pratik ban gaya.