• Rajshri R

Sita, the daughter of Janaka, accompanies her husband Rama to the “Dhandakaranya” when he proceeds to the forest to fulfill the promise that his father Dasaratha had given queen Kaikeyi. During the course of their journey Rama, Lakshmana and Sita visit sage Atri’s and his wife Anasuya’s hermitage. Anasuya while conversing with Sita, counsels her on the duties of a wife. She then expresses her desire to hear about the occasion of Sita’s marriage to Rama. While describing the events of their marriage, Sita says that king Janaka, who was happy to adopt her as his daughter was however anxious about finding the right match for her. Sita then makes a general remark that all fathers who have daughters of marriageable age are worried as it is their responsibility to find a suitable husband for their daughters. If they failed to do so with in the stipulated time they were sure to face humiliation in society. Kautilya in his Arthashastra, which belong to approximately the same period as Valmiki’s Ramayana, elaborates on the rights of a woman and her responsibilities towards her husband. It also asserts that it is the responsibility of a father to get his daughter married within three years of her attaining puberty (Kautilya, Arthashastra translated by Rangarajan 364). Stephen Greenblatt in his essay “Towards a Poetics of Culture” notes that the social circumstances in which a work is written undoubtedly influences it (Greenblatt 12). This paper attempts to examine if Valmiki, through the words of Anasuya and Sita, is attempting to illustrate the notion of womanhood prevalent in society during his times, and if he is showcasing the customs and practices of his era.

Valmiki’s Ramayana, Arthashastra, New Historicism, Women, Father’s Anxiety

"Locating Womanhood in Valmiki’s Ramayana: A Study of the Conversation between Anasuya and Sita", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no.482-485, April-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904K70.pdf

"Locating Womanhood in Valmiki’s Ramayana: A Study of the Conversation between Anasuya and Sita", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no. pp482-485, April-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904K70.pdf