Ancient Literature
Q. 1 Theme of Marriage

a. Between Rama and Sita in Ramayana
The only thing that can triumph over the challenges that life inherently imposes upon us
although it is a world divided between good and evil. Only one item can survive the typical days
of sorrow and upheavals and even the horrible crimes of people. The only thing strong enough to
enchant two people at once is itself. Love or affection is the word for this feeling. Several literary
works vividly illustrate this point, but one of the most significant examples may be found inside
the pages of an epic poem that has great significance for Hindus. Rama and Sita, the protagonists
of the Ramayana, are a model married pair because they remain faithful to each other while
facing many challenges together.
Rama is fortunate to have found Sita, a woman who is as lovely as she is, faithful and
innocent. Sita's unwavering wifely love shines through in all she does, from brazenly offering to
join Rama in the wilderness during his exile to steadfastly refusing to surrender herself to
Ravana during her captivity in Lanka. Sita is as sacred to the rakshasa king as the goddess
Lakshmi herself, yet she is immune to his unwelcome advances thanks to her avatar status. Even
yet, Ravana continues to try to woo her. She is distressed when Hanuman, one of Rama's most
devoted servants, arrives to save her, but she refuses to leave with him, giving her husband's
dignity as her reason. Sita is ready to endure more imprisonment, even in her greatest anguish,
since she knows that Rama's prestige rests on his saving his wife personally.

Sita's chastity is called into doubt when she escapes Rama's hideaway, so she sacrifices
herself by throwing herself into a blazing fire to show her unwavering devotion to Rama. She

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makes it through the trial unscathed but is eventually exiled to appease the skeptical citizens of
Kosala. Sita, pregnant with her twins, travels to the ashram of Valmiki, the omniscient author of
the Epic, where she gives birth. When Rama's two kids see their father as adults, he begins to
feel remorse for having them go with her. Tragically, the family cannot be brought back together
in Kosala. Sita's ultimate act of kindness is to be consumed by the earth's mother. Even though
Rama is devastated by the death of his wife, the gods promise him they will be reunited one day.
b. Between Draupadi and her Five Husbands in Mahabharata
When Draupadi was informed she had to wed five men at once, she had no choice but to
comply. She was put in the impossible position of loving each of her husbands equally. The level
of sexual commitment being requested of her made her uncomfortable. She conveyed her anxiety
to Krishna without saying it directly. "How can I split myself up, mentally and emotionally,
amongst five husbands?" (Bhardwaj & Chauhan, 2020). Lord Krishna instructed Draupadi to
spend a year with each of her suitors. During that time, none of her other spouses will have
sexual relations with her. They will not be allowed in the room where Draupadi and her new
husband are having some alone time. One would be banished for twelve years if he did so, even
unintentionally. This way, Draupadi was united with the five Pandavas as their common spouse.
Their married life was very structured and demanded a lot of her self-discipline. For each
marriage, she adapted her lifestyle, which required a great deal of readjusting her feelings and
outlook on life. It is easy to see how much pressure she was under as the wife of those five
tempestuous warriors. Despite all, she became one of the most admired female characters in the
Epic. She took on the challenge to her femininity head-on, did the work, and succeeded. Soon
after, Draupadi gave birth to five sons—one by each of her five husbands. Prativindhya was
Yudhishtir's son; Srutasoma was Bhima's; Srutakirti was Arjun's; Satanika was Nakul's, and

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Srutakarma was Sahadev's. Because the Pandava siblings had other wives, Draupadi was
involved in a polyandry marriage and a polygamy one. Hidimba, the demon, was Bhima's wife.
After his first wife, Draupadi, died, Arjun married numerous other princesses, including Lord
Krishna's sister Subhadra (Bhardwaj & Chauhan, 2020). Subhadra traveled to Indraprastha to
reside with him, but the other princess remained in their fathers' kingdoms. After Shishupala and
Jarasandha passed away, Nakul and