Janaka
Janaka ( Sanskrit जनक janaka m. ) Is a figure from the Indian epic Ramayana , king of Mithila in today's Tirhut . He is the father of Sita , the wife of Rama . Today's city of Janakpur in Nepal is named after him. The sources also name other kings named Janaka who ruled Mithila.
myth
Janaka is a descendant of Nimi, the second eldest son of Ikshvaku, and belongs to the mythical sun dynasty . He is described as wise and kind, and was versed in philosophy . He initiated a contest among all the sages of India, in which Yajnavalkya won, who has since served as a priest and advisor at the royal court.
King Janaka was childless and therefore sacrificed for offspring. During the ritual plowing, a girl emerged from the earth, whom he adopted as his daughter and called Sita "furrow".
When Sita reached marriageable age, Janaka organized a competition. The task was to draw the bow of the god Shiva . Rama was the only one who succeeded and even broke the bow. Then Rama and Sita got married.
According to some sources, Janaka had a second daughter, Urmila, who married Rama's brother Lakshmana .
literature
- Janaka . In: John Dowson : A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. Trübner & co., London 1879, pp. 132-133 ( Text Archive - Internet Archive ).
- Anna Dhallapiccola: Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend . ISBN 0-500-51088-1 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ janaka . In: Monier Monier-Williams : Sanskrit-English Dictionary . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1899, p. 410, col. 3 .
