The Three Sisters Of Sita: Life History And Cause Of Death

Add as a preferred source on Google

Goddess Sita was the wife of Lord Shri Ram, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. She was a child that King Janaka chanced up on to see under the layers of earth, as he was digging the earth for the right place to conduct a yaga. She was the foster child of King Janaka. She had a biological sister called Urmila, and then two cousins by name Mandavi, and Shrutakirti.

Kushadhvaja was the younger brother of King Janaka of Mithila. Mandavi and Shrutakirti, were his daughters who were married to Rama's younger brothers, Bharata and Shatrughna, respectively. Shrutakirti's elder sister was Mandavi, who was married to Bharata. Shrutakirti was married to Shatrughna.
Goddess Sita was the epitome of sacrifice and faced multiple vicissitudes in her life, but she was never bogged down by circumstances Soon after marriage, she had to leave to the jungles on exile with Lord Ram.

She won her battles effortlessly and showed the world how an ideal woman should be. Her three sisters were befitting siblings for Sita in terms of their values and ideals. They were the daughters who elevated the reputation of their parental home and did selfless service to their marital home and inlaws as well. While Sita was an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, Urmila, Mandavi and Shrutakiethi were incarnations of the wives of Adisesha, Sudarshan, and Panchajanya , the weapons that belonged to Lord Vishnu.

Urmila

According to Valmiki Ramayana, Urmila is the biological daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and Queen Sunayana, and the younger sister of Sita. She was married to King Dasharatha's third son, Lakshmana. They had two sons - Angada and Chandraketu. She was as dedicated to Sita as Lakshman was to Rama.

Although Sita had to suffer a lot during her exile with Rama, she at least had her husband near her and a brother in law who looked up on her as if she were his own mother. Urmila wished initially to accompany Lakshmana to which Lakshmana refused saying that she would be a distraction for him in his tapasya of service to Ram and Sita and there was no one to look after his ageing parents as well. Urmila suffered in silence and did not utter a word of objection and never complained about her situation all those 14 long years.

Mandavi

Mandavi was the daughter of Kushadvaj, King Janaka's brother and hence a cousin of Sita. She was married to Bharat who, after Ram's exile, resided at Nandi Gram on exile, spening time worshipping Rams paduka. Mandavi too spent her time with Bharat, chanting Rama Nama and supported her husband.

She too spent her time in meditation and lived like a saint like Bharat and served their mothers Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. Bharat was looking after the kingdom as per the commands of Rama. Mandavi had sons called Taksha and Pulkal.Mandavi is the name of a river, which courses thorugh North Karnataka and Goa.

Shrutakeerti

Shrutkirti, the wife of Shatrughna was the daughter of Kushadvaja, who was Raja Janak's brother. Bharat had gone on exile to Nandi Gram. So the one who was in charge of administration of the kingdom was Shatrughna who used to govern by the day and at night he used to report every incident to Bharat,

Shutakeerti was a noble soul who was known for her sterling virtues. She met her husband at night and asked him if anything had gone wrong in the state, and would advise him if any problem cropped up. She was known for her soft and harmless speech, and always listened to good advice. She used ot speak only those things that were good for every one and good to hear and pleasant. She had two sons, Bhupaketu and Subahu.

How Did Their Lives End?

As per Uttara Kanda, Bharata and Shatrughna's wives also went into Saryu and shed their mortal coil along with Rama and the brothers. Mandavi and Shrutakeerti followed Bharata and Shatrughna even in death.
Urmila was the only one who survived and that was for a reason. Before returning back to earth, Goddess Sita gave the responsibility of looking after her children to Urmila. Urmila promised her that she would give motherly care for her children. So Urmila did not end her life at Sarayu but stayed alive to guide Lava and Kusha so that they would rule Ayodhya effectively.

But there is yet another story that says that Urmila also entered Sarayu and ended her life. Rama took the Jalsamadhi decision only after he had groomed his sons enough to be able to take on the helm of administrative affairs of Ayodhya.

Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky doesn't confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.