Sumitra (,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: Sumitrā) is a princess of

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi most commonly refers to: * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India Kashi may also refer to: Places **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwana ...

and the queen of

Kosala Kosala, sometimes referred to as Uttara Kosala () was one of the Mahajanapadas of ancient India. It emerged as a small state during the Late Vedic period and became (along with Magadha) one of the earliest states to transition from a lineage ...

in the Hindu epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. Sumitra is the second queen consort of

Dasharatha Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana ...

, the king of Kosala, who ruled from

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

. Regarded to be a wise and dedicated woman, she is the mother of the twins

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

and

Shatrughna ''Shatrughna'' (, ), also known as Ripudaman, is the younger brother of Rama, and King of Mathura, Madhupura and Vidisha, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra of god Vishnu, and was married ...

Etymology

The name Sumitra is of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

origin, and could be divided into ''Su'' meaning good, and ''Mitra,'' meaning friend''.'' Thus'','' her name means 'a good friend' or 'one with a friendly nature'. She is known in other languages as

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

: சுமித்திரை (), Burmese: Thumitra, Malay: Samutra, Khmer '' and '' ''Samutthra Thewi'').

Legend

Birth

While Valmiki is silent on her parentage, later texts variously described her as a princess of

or of

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

, and belonging to the Haiheya clan. She is called the daughter of Magadha, as per

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviv ...

’s '' Raghuvamsham''. Kalidasa wrote,

Marriage and children

Sumitra was married to king

as his second queen consort. In the ''

Balakanda ''Bala Kanda'' (; IAST: ', ) is the first Book of the Valmiki ''Ramayana.'' The ''Bala Kanda,'' in partif not in its entiretyis generally regarded as an interpolation to the original epic.' Structure The book consists of seventy-six ''sargas ...

'' chapter of the ''Ramayana'', Sumitra first appears. Four Sons of Dasaratha

Sumitra performs the asvamedha yagna alongside Dasharatha and his two other wives in hopes of blessings for children. At the sacrifice conducted by

Rishyasringa Rishyasringa (; ; Pali: Isisiṅga) is a rishi mentioned in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures from the late first millennium BCE. According to the Hindu epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', he was a boy born with the horns of a deer who became ...

to obtain sons for the childless Dasharatha, a divine being emerged from the flames with a golden vessel filled with divine ''

payasam Kheer, khir or payasam is a pudding or porridge popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts, cardamom and saffron. Instead of rice, it ...

'' (a milk delicacy) prepared by the gods. Dasharatha offers half of this divine food to

Kausalya Kausalya (, ) is a queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the first senior queen consort of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital Ayodhya. She is the mother of Rama, the male protagonist of the epic. She is a secondar ...

, a quarter to Sumitra (i.e., literally 'half of that which remained'), an eighth to

Kaikeyi Kaikeyi,(Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is a princess of Kekeya and the queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Kaikeyi is the third queen and favourite consort of King Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital, A ...

(i.e., again, 'half of that which remained'), and then, upon reflection, gives the final eighth to Sumitra again. Consequently, Kausalya gives birth to the prince

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

and Kaikeyi to Bharata. Having received two portions, Sumitra became the mother of twins,

and Satrughna. Her elder son Lakshmana married

Urmila Urmila (), is a Hindu goddess and the princess of Videha in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is considered to be an avatāra of Nagalakshmi, the serpent goddess. Urmila was married to Lakshmana and is known for her dedication towards her ...

, daughter of

Janaka Janaka (, IAST: ''Janaka'') is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila (region), Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Janaka was married to Sunayana (Ramayana), Sunayana. He is the father of Sita and Urmila in the epic. The term Janaka ...

, King of

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

and her younger son Shatrughan, married

Shrutakirti Shrutakirti () is a princess of Videha, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the wife of Shatrughna and is considered an incarnation of the discus of goddess Lakshmi. Shrutakirti is known for her foresight and dedication. Etymology The na ...

, daughter of Janaka's brother

Kushadhvaja Kushadhvaja ( IAST: Kuśadhvaja) is the King of Samkasya and the younger brother of Janaka, the King of Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He was married to Chandrabhaga and is the father of Mandavi and Shrutakirti. Legend Birth K ...

Rama's exile

Sumitra is known to encourage her son Lakshmana to go into exile with Rama. Sumitra is described to have found a lot of happiness around her son Lakshmana, with the latter being described as the 'enhancer of her joy' and is also known as Saumitra (). Despite this, she sends her son in his brother's service. Before his departure, Sumitra tells Lakshmana, "Ram is your elder brother, and the future king. Do not neglect your duty. Serve and guard him, and show your devotion, at all times."

Assessment

Neither the principal queen nor the favoured wife, Sumitra was single-minded in her devotion to her husband and to the senior queen, Kausalya. Considered as the wisest of Dasharatha's three wives, she supported Lakshmana's decision to accompany Rama, to serve him during his exile, and comforted Kausalya after the departure of her son. In the ''Ramayana'', Sumitra is faultless and charming and skilled in her employment of words. Sumitra's husband, Dasharatha deems her worthy and is fearful of losing the respect in her eyes. He says,

Literature

After the exile of Rama,

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

, and Lakshmana, the benevolent Sumitra consoles Queen

with her persuasive words: During Rama's consecration, Sumitra offers her blessings to the prince:

In popular culture

Films

* Suma portrayed Sumitra in the 1997 Telugu film ''

Ramayanam The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. * Dishi Duggal voiced Sumitra in the 2010 animated Hindi film '' Ramayana: The Epic''. * Sandhya Janak portrayed Sumitra in the 2011 Telugu film ''

Sri Rama Rajyam ''Sri Rama Rajyam'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language devotional film directed by Bapu (in his last venture) who co-wrote the film with Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, and produced by Yalamanchali Saibabu. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Nay ...

''.

Television

* Rajnibala portrayed Sumitra in the 1987 series '' Ramayan'' and the 1988 series ''

Luv Kush ''Luv Kush'' (originally called ''Uttar Ramayan'') is an Indian television series that ran from 1988 to 1989. It was created, written, produced, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. It is a follow-up '' Ramayan'', featuring mostly the same cast and ...

''. * Jyoti Joshi portrayed Sumitra in the 2002 series '' Ramayan''. * Sangeeta Kapure portrayed Sumitra in the 2008 series '' Ramayan''. *

Anushka Singh Anushka Singh (born 9 November 1964) is an Indian model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and ...

portrayed Sumitra in the 2011 series '' Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev''. *

Anjalie Gupta ''Satya 2'' () is a 2013 Indian crime film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages, the film stars Puneet Singh Ratn (Hindi), Sharwanand (Telugu), Anaika Soti and Mahesh Thakur. The film tells the story of ...

portrayed Sumitra in the 2012 series '' Ramayan''. *

Kanishka Soni Kanishka Soni is an Indian actress and model from Mumbai. She has an MBA in finance from the University of Mumbai. After her studies she was selected for singing in the reality show bathroom singer on Filmy Tv by Optimystix Entertainment. She i ...

portrayed Sumitra in the 2015 series ''

Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan ''Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan'' is an Indian-Television drama series that aired weekly on Sony Entertainment Television (India) It tells the story of Hanuman from the viewpoint of Krishna and Rukmini. The series ran from May 2015 to Augu ...

''. * Sampada Vaze portrayed Sumitra in the 2015 series ''

Siya Ke Ram ''Siya Ke Ram'' ( ''Sita's Ram'') is an Indian television series on Star Plus produced by Nikhil Sinha under the banner of Triangle Film Company. This show presents the epic ''Ramayana'', the story of Sita and Rama from Sita's perspective. The s ...

''. * Preeti Gandwani portrayed Sumitra in the 2018 series ''

Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush ''Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush'' () is an Indian mythological drama television series, which aired on Colors TV from 5 August 2019 to 10 February 2020. The series focused on the story of Rama and Sita as well as their children Luv and Kush. It starred ...

''. * Bhawna Aneja portrayed Sumitra in the 2024 series ''

Shrimad Ramayan ''Shrimad Ramayan'' () is an Indian Hindi-language television series that premiered from 1 January 2024 to 9 August 2024 on Sony TV and from 12 August 2024 to 10 March 2025 on Sony SAB. Produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary under the banner of Sw ...

''. * Gurpreet Kaur Sandhu portrayed Sumitra in 2024 DD National series

Kakabhushundi Ramayan- Anasuni Kathayein Kakabhushundi (), also rendered Bhushundi, is a sage featured in Hindu literature. He is one of the characters of the ''Rāmacaritamānasa'', an Awadhi poem about the deity Rama by the saint Tulsidas. Kakabhushundi is depicted as a devotee of ...

YouTube

* Priyankshi Keswani portrayed Sumitra in 2024 YouTube series Valmiki Ramayan.

References

External links

Ramayana, translated in English by

Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Ridge, ...

, from

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

{{Ramayana Solar dynasty Characters in the Ramayana Queens in Hindu mythology