Sita Upanishad - Revision history

Adityagoel at 15:37, 20 January 2026

2026-01-20T15:37:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:07, 20 January 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{italic title}}		{{italic title}}{{Short description\|Minor Upanishad}}
	{{Infobox Upanishad		{{Infobox Upanishad
	\| image = 'Sita Vanavasa' or Sita in exile. Wellcome L0021787.jpg		\| image = 'Sita Vanavasa' or Sita in exile. Wellcome L0021787.jpg
Line 6:		Line 6:
	\| Sanskrit_transliteration = Sītā		\| Sanskrit_transliteration = Sītā
	\| meaning = Goddess Sita		\| meaning = Goddess Sita
	\| composition_date = ~~12th~~- to ~~15th~~-century~~{{Sfn\|Cush\|2007\|p=740}}~~		\| composition_date = 4th- to 8th-century
	\| type = Vaishnava		\| type = Vaishnava
	\| Veda = [[Atharva Veda]]{{Sfn\| Tinoco\|1996\|p=88}}		\| Veda = [[Atharva Veda]]{{Sfn\| Tinoco\|1996\|p=88}}
Line 13:		Line 13:
	\| philosophy = [[Vaishnavism]], [[Vedanta]]		\| philosophy = [[Vaishnavism]], [[Vedanta]]
	}}		}}
	The '''''Sita Upanishad''''' ({{~~lang-~~sa\|सीता उपनिषत्}}) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and a minor [[Upanishad]] of [[Hinduism]]. It is attached to the [[Atharvaveda\|Atharva Veda]],{{Sfn\|Prasoon\|2008\|p=82}}{{Sfn\| Tinoco\|1996\|p=88}} and is one of the Vaishnava upanishads. It is categorized as a late Upanishad,{{Sfn\|Dalal\|2014\|p=1069}} in which goddess [[Sita]] is extolled as the Ultimate Reality of the Universe ([[Brahman]]), the ground of Being ([[Spirituality]]), and material cause behind all manifestation.<ref name=gandhisk113>R Gandhi (1992), Sita's Kitchen, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN\|978-0791411537}}, page 113 with note 35</ref> The Upanishad identifies Sita with primordial [[Prakriti]] (nature) and her three powers, asserts the text, are manifested in daily life as will ([[~~Shakti#Ichha~~-shakti\|~~ichha~~]]), action ([[kriyā]]) and knowledge ([[jnana]]).{{Sfn\|Mahadevan\|1975\|p=239}}{{Sfn\|Dalal\|2014\|p=1069}}		The '''''Sita Upanishad''''' ({{langx\|sa\|सीता उपनिषत्}}) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and a minor [[Upanishad]] of [[Hinduism]]. It is attached to the [[Atharvaveda\|Atharva Veda]],{{Sfn\|Prasoon\|2008\|p=82}}{{Sfn\| Tinoco\|1996\|p=88}} and is one of the Vaishnava upanishads. It is categorized as a late Upanishad,{{Sfn\|Dalal\|2014\|p=1069}} in which goddess [[Sita]] is extolled as the Ultimate Reality of the Universe ([[Brahman]]), the ground of Being ([[Spirituality]]), and material cause behind all manifestation.<ref name=gandhisk113>R Gandhi (1992), Sita's Kitchen, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN\|978-0791411537}}, page 113 with note 35</ref> The Upanishad identifies Sita with primordial [[Prakriti]] (nature) and her three powers, asserts the text, are manifested in daily life as will ([[Iccha-shakti\|iccha]]), action ([[kriyā]]) and knowledge ([[jnana]]).{{Sfn\|Mahadevan\|1975\|p=239}}{{Sfn\|Dalal\|2014\|p=1069}}

	This Upanishad is notable for asserting that the cosmos is [[Atman (Hinduism)\|Atman]] (soul), it resides in the [[heart]], its awareness and self-realization emerges by [[Vichara]] (investigation into the Self) and [[Samadhi]], the ultimate stage of meditation.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn\|Maharshi\|Brunton\|Venkataramiah\|1984\|p=36}}		This Upanishad is notable for asserting that the cosmos is [[Atman (Hinduism)\|Atman]] (soul), it resides in the [[heart]], its awareness and self-realization emerges by [[Vichara]] (investigation into the Self) and [[Samadhi]], the ultimate stage of meditation.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn\|Maharshi\|Brunton\|Venkataramiah\|1984\|p=36}}

	==History==		==History==
	The author and the century in which Sita Upanishad was composed is unknown. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the ~~12th~~- and ~~15th~~-century CE.~~{{Sfn\|Cush\|2007\|p=740}}~~ Even though this text is of relatively late origin, [[Sita]] as goddess is traceable to 1st-millennium BCE Hindu texts and the Epic [[Ramayana]].<ref>David Kinsley (1988), Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions, University of California Press, {{ISBN\|0-520-06339-2}}, pages 55-64</ref>		The author and the century in which Sita Upanishad was composed is unknown. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the 4th- and 8th-century CE. Even though this text is of relatively late origin, [[Sita]] as goddess is traceable to 1st-millennium BCE Hindu texts and the Epic [[Ramayana]].<ref>David Kinsley (1988), Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions, University of California Press, {{ISBN\|0-520-06339-2}}, pages 55-64</ref>

	Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as ''Sitopanishad''.{{Sfn\|Hattangadi\|2000}}<ref name=vediclitp570>Vedic Literature, Volume 1, {{Google books\|2YIoAAAAYAAJ\|A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts\|page=PA576}}, Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, page 576</ref> In the Telugu language [[anthology]] of 108 Upanishads of the [[Muktika]] canon, narrated by [[Rama]] to [[Hanuman]], it is listed at number 45.{{Sfn\|Deussen\|1997\|pp=556–557}}		Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as ''Sitopanishad''.{{Sfn\|Hattangadi\|2000}}<ref name=vediclitp570>Vedic Literature, Volume 1, {{Google books\|2YIoAAAAYAAJ\|A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts\|page=PA576}}, Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, page 576</ref> In the Telugu language [[anthology]] of 108 Upanishads of the [[Muktika]] canon, narrated by [[Rama]] to [[Hanuman]], it is listed at number 45.{{Sfn\|Deussen\|1997\|pp=556–557}}
Line 55:		Line 55:

	Sita, states the text, is the supreme goddess,{{Sfn\|Dalal\|2014\|p=1069}} non-dual Brahman (Ultimate Reality), the Being (Spirituality), and material cause of empirical reality.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn\|Mahadevan\|1975\|pp=239–240}}		Sita, states the text, is the supreme goddess,{{Sfn\|Dalal\|2014\|p=1069}} non-dual Brahman (Ultimate Reality), the Being (Spirituality), and material cause of empirical reality.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn\|Mahadevan\|1975\|pp=239–240}}
			==See also==
			* [[Rama\|Lord Rama]]
			* [[Maithili Maha Upanishad]]
			* [[Ramayana]]
			* [[Valmiki Samhita]]
			*[[Vaishnava Matabja Bhaskara]]

	==Reception==		==Reception==

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-08-31T07:31:26Z

Created a new article

New page

{{italic title}}
{{Infobox Upanishad
| image = 'Sita Vanavasa' or Sita in exile. Wellcome L0021787.jpg
| caption = Sita
| Devanagari = सीता
| Sanskrit_transliteration = Sītā
| meaning = Goddess Sita
| composition_date = 12th- to 15th-century{{Sfn|Cush|2007|p=740}}
| type = Vaishnava
| Veda = [[Atharva Veda]]{{Sfn| Tinoco|1996|p=88}}
| chapters = 1
| verses = 37
| philosophy = [[Vaishnavism]], [[Vedanta]]
}}
The '''''Sita Upanishad''''' ({{lang-sa|सीता उपनिषत्}}) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and a minor [[Upanishad]] of [[Hinduism]]. It is attached to the [[Atharvaveda|Atharva Veda]],{{Sfn|Prasoon|2008|p=82}}{{Sfn| Tinoco|1996|p=88}} and is one of the Vaishnava upanishads. It is categorized as a late Upanishad,{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}} in which goddess [[Sita]] is extolled as the Ultimate Reality of the Universe ([[Brahman]]), the ground of Being ([[Spirituality]]), and material cause behind all manifestation.<ref name=gandhisk113>R Gandhi (1992), Sita's Kitchen, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791411537}}, page 113 with note 35</ref> The Upanishad identifies Sita with primordial [[Prakriti]] (nature) and her three powers, asserts the text, are manifested in daily life as will ([[Shakti#Ichha-shakti|ichha]]), action ([[kriyā]]) and knowledge ([[jnana]]).{{Sfn|Mahadevan|1975|p=239}}{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}}

This Upanishad is notable for asserting that the cosmos is [[Atman (Hinduism)|Atman]] (soul), it resides in the [[heart]], its awareness and self-realization emerges by [[Vichara]] (investigation into the Self) and [[Samadhi]], the ultimate stage of meditation.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn|Maharshi|Brunton|Venkataramiah|1984|p=36}}

==History==
The author and the century in which Sita Upanishad was composed is unknown. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the 12th- and 15th-century CE.{{Sfn|Cush|2007|p=740}} Even though this text is of relatively late origin, [[Sita]] as goddess is traceable to 1st-millennium BCE Hindu texts and the Epic [[Ramayana]].<ref>David Kinsley (1988), Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions, University of California Press, {{ISBN|0-520-06339-2}}, pages 55-64</ref>

Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as ''Sitopanishad''.{{Sfn|Hattangadi|2000}}<ref name=vediclitp570>Vedic Literature, Volume 1, {{Google books|2YIoAAAAYAAJ|A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts|page=PA576}}, Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, page 576</ref> In the Telugu language [[anthology]] of 108 Upanishads of the [[Muktika]] canon, narrated by [[Rama]] to [[Hanuman]], it is listed at number 45.{{Sfn|Deussen|1997|pp=556–557}}

==Contents==
The Upanishad has 37 verses in one chapter and is narrated as a discourse between Prajapati and the gods, the latter eager about "Who is Sita? What is her nature?"{{Sfn|Johnsen|2002|p=55}}

Prajapati describes Sita as primal Prakriti, or primordial nature.{{Sfn|Mahadevan|1975|pp=239–240}}{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} She is, asserts the text, same as Lakshmi and the Shakti (energy and power) of [[Vishnu]].{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}<ref name=vrrao21>VR Rao (1987), Selected Doctrines from Indian Philosophy, South Asia Books, {{ISBN|978-8170990000}}, page 21</ref> The text references and uses fragments of hymns in the [[Vajasaneyi Samhita]] of [[Yajurveda]], asserting the goddess to manifest all the times as "will, action and knowledge" that drives change in the universe,<ref name=vrrao21/>{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}} wherein everything, the empirically observed and the transcendental reality, is manifestation of her Being.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}

Sita is all of creation, the good and the bad, all the gods and the demons, the cause and the effect, the material and the spiritual, the virtue and the beauty.{{Sfn|Johnsen|2002|p=55}}{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} Her quality includes the changing reality ([[Maya (illusion)|Maya]], metaphysical illusion),{{Sfn|Nair|2008|p=581}} and the unchanging reality without a second ([[Brahman]], metaphysical constant).<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} She is free from change. She has no blemishes. She represents the vocal form of the four [[Vedas]], which the text asserts comes from 21 schools of [[Rigveda]], 109 schools of [[Yajurveda]], 1000 schools of [[Samaveda]], and 40 schools of Atharvaveda.{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} She is ethics, tradition, law, legend, and the five minor Vedas, asserts the text, naming these as architecture, archery, music, medicine and ''Daivika'' (divinity).{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} She is the basis of the whole world, is composed of Brahma Vishnu and Shiva, and she is the soul (inner self, Atman) that resides in all livings.{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}

{{Quote box
|quote = '''Who is Sita?'''
<poem>
सा देवी त्रिविधा भवति शक्त्यासना
इच्छाशक्तिः क्रियाशक्तिः साक्षाच्छक्तिरिति

That divine Being is threefold,
through her power, namely,
the power of desire,
the power of action,
the power of knowledge.
</poem>
|source = —''Sita Upanishad'' verse 11{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}{{Sfn|Hattangadi|2000}}
|width = 32%
|bgcolor=#FFE0BB
|align = right
}}
Her name Sita, signifies [[Om|Pranava]] or “Aum”,{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}} and she is the [[first cause]] of the universe.{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95, verses 6-9}} The text then offers a folk etymology for her name, asserting that each letter of her name has specific meaning.{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}}{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} The “S” indicates [[Satya]] or eternal truth, the “i” signifies [[maya (illusion)|Maya]] or illusion in an unchanging form, and “ta” denoting the goddess of speech conjoined with [[Brahman]].{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}}{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}

The text weaves in mythical elements of her origins. She, asserts the text, emerged at the tip of the plough symbolizing her link to [[Prakriti]] or nature that feeds and nourishes all life.{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}{{Sfn|Nair|2008|p=581}} She is all pervading. She, asserts the text, lights up everything in all worlds. "The wheel of time and the wheel of the Universe" are her personifications.{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}} Evolution and preservation are her gifts, she is the tree of plenty.{{Sfn|Johnsen|2002|p=55}}{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}

She is [[Lakshmi]], seated as a [[Yogini]] on her lion throne.{{Sfn|Johnsen|2002|p=55}} The universe is full of the beautiful, states the Upanishad, and all that beauty is she, she alone.{{Sfn|Johnsen|2002|p=55}}{{Sfn|Warrier|1967|pp=85–95}}

The [[Vedas]] are her, states Sita Upanishad, and she personifies the three goddesses:{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}}{{Sfn|Nair|2008|p=581}} [[Shri]] (goddess of prosperity, [[Lakshmi]]), [[Bhūmi|Bhumi]] (mother earth), and [[Nila Devi|Nila]] (goddess of destruction). These manifestations of her, correspond to [[Samkhya]] theory of [[Guṇa]], as Sattva, Rajas and Tamas respectively, and are traced in [[Vaishnavism]] tradition respectively to the Sri-Sukta, Bhu-Sukta, and Nila-Sukta hymns in the Vedas.<ref>Aḷkoṇḍavilli Govindāchārya, {{Google books|SoTe_qTyIKIC|The Holy Lives of the Azhvârs|page=PA43}}, Harvard Divinity School, pages 43-44</ref>

Sita, states the text, is the supreme goddess,{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=1069}} non-dual Brahman (Ultimate Reality), the Being (Spirituality), and material cause of empirical reality.<ref name=gandhisk113/>{{Sfn|Mahadevan|1975|pp=239–240}}

==Reception==
David Scott states that the description of Sita in this Upanishad mirrors the description of goddesses in Greek literature and other civilizations.<ref name=scott29>David Scott (1998), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/29757365 The Perennial Message of 'the Goddess': Enduring Themes down the Ages in Bactria], East and West, Vol. 48, No. 1/2, page 29, 27-39</ref> Sita is described in verse 10 of this text, states Scott, as the one with different forms yet same in essence, "she is all" embodied with various attributes and activities, she is who manifests as gods, sages and men.<ref name=scott29/> Similarly, adds Scott, [[Apuleius]] in section 11.5 of ''Metamorphoses'' describes its goddess as, "Though I am worshipped in many aspects, known by countless names and propitiated by all manners of different rites, yet the whole earth venerates me".<ref name=scott29/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|first= Denise|last= Cush|year= 2007|title= Encyclopedia of Hinduism| publisher= Routledge|isbn= 978-0415556231 }}
*{{cite book|last= Dalal |first=Roshen |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ| year=2014| publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-81-8475-277-9}}
*{{cite book|last= Deussen |first=Paul |title=Sixty Upanishads of the Veda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XYepeIGUY0gC&pg=PA556|year=1997|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1467-7}}
*{{Cite web|url=http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/sita.pdf |title= सीतोपनिषत् (Sita Upanishad)|access-date=28 January 2016| language = sa|last= Hattangadi| first= Sunder| year= 2000 }}
*{{cite book|last=Johnsen|first = Linda|title = The Living Goddess|year=2002| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UnLSNBBW5wcC&pg=PA47 |publisher=YI Publishers|isbn=978-0936663289}}
*{{cite book|last1= Maharshi |first1=Ramana |last2= Brunton |first2=Paul |last3= Venkataramiah |first3=Mungala |title=Conscious Immortality: Conversations with Ramana Maharshi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bG3XAAAAMAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Sri Ramanasramam}}
*{{cite book|last= Mahadevan |first=T. M. P. |title=Upaniṣads: Selections from 108 Upaniṣads|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yluXuM5NuUIC&pg=PA239|year=1975|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1611-4}}
*{{cite book|last= Nair |first=Shantha N. |title=Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzFvE0IR7rkC&pg=PT581|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Pustak Mahal|isbn=978-81-223-1020-7}}
*{{cite book|last= Prasoon |first=Prof.S.K. |title=Indian Scriptures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PvmAwVXPKbQC&pg=PT85|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Pustak Mahal|isbn=978-81-223-1007-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Tinoco|first=Carlos Alberto|title=Upanishads | year=1996| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xoNEM63hZEC&pg=PA88 |publisher=IBRASA|isbn=978-85-348-0040-2}}
*{{cite book|first=AG Krishna|last=Warrier|title=Śākta Upaniṣads|year=1967|oclc= 2606086|isbn= 978-0835673181|publisher=Adyar Library and Research Center}}

==External links==
*[http://www.gayathrimanthra.com/contents/documents/Vedic-related/Sita_Upanishad.pdf Sita Upanishad], Sanskrit text

{{Hindudharma}}
{{Mukhya Upanishads}}

[[Category:Upanishads]]
[[Category:Shaktism]]