Who is more gracious?
By Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan profile image Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan
4 min read

Who is more gracious?

Who is more gracious and kind-hearted, Lord Ram or Mother Sita?

Lord Ram is the father, and Mother Sita is the mother of all living beings. People often wonder who is more gracious and kind-hearted, Lord Ram or Mother Sita?

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, the fifth original Jagadguru in the history of India. He is the reconciler of all scriptural philosophies and principles. He maintains that even though Lord Ram and Mother Sita are the same, Mother Sita being the mother is more gracious and kind.

Lord Ram’s devotees challenged the argument and asked Shri Maharaj Ji to prove His viewpoint.

Shri Maharaj Ji cites numerous stories in our scriptures to prove His point. 

The first such story is during the descent of Bhagwan Ram and Mother Sita on Earth. Once, while Lord Ram was resting His head in Mother Sita’s lap in the Chitrakoot forest, a bird named Jayant pecked at Mother Sita's lotus feet. 

The disrespect shown to Mother Sita angered Lord Rama. He launched His most potent divine disc called Sudarshan Chakra on Jayant to punish him for his insolent behavior. 

Jayant took off to save his life. Sudarshan Chakra chased him everywhere. Jayant begged for shelter at the feet of the Holy Trinity – Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankar, but none could offer him protection against the Sudarshan Chakra. 

After exhausting all options to save his life, Jayant returned to seek forgiveness at the feet of Lord Ram Himself. Lord Ram, unmoved by Jayant’s plea, remained adamant in His decision to punish him for his actions. 

It was then that Mother Sita intervened. She pleaded with Lord Ram on behalf of Jayant, saying, “My dear Lord! Has there ever existed a jeev who, while being under the control of Maya, has not sinned?” 

Lord Ram agreed with Mother Sita’s argument. Lord Ram’s anger subsided and He forgave Jayant.

Mother Sita, Lord Ram and Jayant
Mother Sita pleaded with Lord Ram on behalf of Jayant

Another touching example of Mother Sita's kindness is from the time when She was kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. Ravana held Her captive in a garden named Ashoka Vatika in his kingdom of Lanka. There Ravana appointed fierce demonesses like Trijata to guard Her. They used coercion tactics to have Mother Sita give into Ravana’s demand to marry him. 

Meanwhile, Lord Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Lord Ram, was looking for Mother Sita. When he reached Lanka he found Mother Sita surrounded by scary demonesses in Ashok Vatika. Hanuman could not bear the sight of the demonesses mentally torturing and scaring Mother Sita. He sought Mother Sita’s permission to punish them for their deeds. 

Mother Sita stopped Hanuman from doing so due to her kind and forgiving nature. Instead, She forgave and blessed the demon women.

Mother Sita forgave and blessed those demon women

Yet another incident shows Mother Sita’s incomparable kindness. A demoness named Shuparnakha was attracted to Lord Ram and wanted to marry Him. Having already married Mother Sita, Lord Ram refused to entertain her proposal of marriage. This hurt her pride and angered her to the degree that she physically attacked Mother Sita. Her flawed reasoning is that if she were to devour Mother Sita, there would be no excuse for Lord Ram not to marry her. 

Sita, Ram, Suparnakha, Radha, Krishna, Kubja
Mother Sita blessed Shuparnakha to later become a beloved companion of Lord Krishna

Despite all this, Mother Sita gladly forgave Surpanakha. Not only that, during Lord Rama's incarnation as Lord Krishna in Dwapar Yuga, Mother Sita (Shri Radha) blessed Shuparnakha to become a beloved companion of Lord Krishna.

Even though Lord Ram and Mother Sita are the same, Mother Sita is more caring and compassionate. Just as in the material world, mothers are often more loving and forgiving than fathers. 

Our scriptures also rank the status of the mother to be higher than that of the father. That's why we often say Sita-Ram and Radha-Krishna and greet each other by saying Radhe-Radhe.

It is to be remembered that Sita-Ram and Radha-Krishna are two different forms of the same supreme Lord. They are non-different from each other. It is for the sake of performing Their pastimes They take on two different forms. Hence it is important to understand that all forms of God are Gods themselves. 

One should not differentiate between the various forms of God, considering one to be superior to the other. All forms of God are to be respected equally. However, it is important to choose one form of God as our beloved deity to achieve God realization. 

Choosing one deity helps to focus our mind to move straight ahead toward our ultimate goal. Also, embed all forms of God within your chosen deity. Additionally, love, respect and perform devotion to God and Guru equally.

By Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan profile image Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan
Updated on
Divine Couple Eternal Vedic Scriptures Divine Philosophy