![]() The role of kings in ancient India was often described in terms of promoting fertility of the land over which they ruled. ![]() This Vedic goddess of the fertile earth, though she remains relatively insignificant in these early texts, may represent a prototype of the character Sita who appears in the Ramayana. In the Vajasaneyi-samhita, Sita is invoked when furrows are drawn during a sacrificial ritual. In various texts, Sita is listed as the wife of gods who hold jurisdiction over the fertile rains, such as Parjanya and even Indra. Accordingly, the goddess known as Sita appearing in early Vedic literature is closely connected to the earth and is thought to bless the land with good crops. The Sanskrit word Sita literally means "the line made by the plow" or "furrow," a term held by ancient Indians to be redolent of fecundity and the many blessings that accrue from settled agriculture.
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