By: Devaki Nandana ji
'One wife', 'one word', and 'one arrow'--these words bring only Lord Shri Rama to our mind. In a world where there is no chastity to speak off, people get divorced left and right, man and woman live together for years before getting married, we are blessed to be born in the land where Shri Rama is the embodiment of dharma and chastity, walked around. The word- vrata (religious vow) is one of the most widely used words in the Hindu religious and ritualistic literature. Derived from the verbal root vṛn (to choose), it indicates a set of rules and discipline with which one voluntarily binds oneself over a particular period of time, during which period, he or she undertakes the performance of certain rituals in order to propitiate a deity and secure what he or she wants. This whole process should be undertaken with a sankalpa (religious resolve), on an auspicious day and time, fixed as per the diktats of the Hindu religious almanācs. All this applies to humans; however, Lord Shri Rama practiced this vrata for the sake of dharma and to stand as an example to humans. He set an example in dharma, satyam and ekapatnī-vratam to his people.
The question remains, what is so special about Shri Rama when his brothers- Lakshmaṇa, Bharata, and Śhatrughna also practiced ekapatnī-vratam? In case of Sri Rama, it was unique in the sense that his wife Sita was abducted by Demon King Rāvaṇa, after Śūrphaṇakha (Rāvaṇa's sister) approached Rama. She was furious that Lakshmaṇa cut off her nose and ears and complained to her brother, goading him to abduct Sita. As a king, Shri Rama could have married any number of women if he wanted to. But he practiced ekapatnī-vratam and became the embodiment of dharma. He rejected Rāvaṇa's sister Śūrphaṇakha's advances and remained faithful to his wife. He was the embodiment of all sixty -four virtues, even though it is humanly impossible to have all the sixteen virtues. He was humble, affectionate and easily approachable. He rejoiced like a father in the happiness of His subjects and felt grieved at their sorrows and sufferings. Above all, He was deeply devoted to satyam (truth). He spoke nothing but the truth and, once his word was given, he would keep it at all costs. He was the protector of satyam and dharma. He exercised his adamantine will to show that no sacrifice was too great to preserve these principles.
A question frequently raised is that the gods and goddesses we worship have more than one wife. For those who read and understand the spiritual meaning of the purāṇās, and iṫihāsās, it is very clear that the female consorts are nothing but aspects of Bhagavan (Parabrahman).
In the entire world, it is not a norm to observe the ekapatnī-vratam. But as Hindus and descendants of Shri Rama, it is a norm rather than the exception to observe the ekapatnī-vratam in Bharatavarsha, among the Hindus. Our marriage ceremonies have tremendous meaning in every mantra and ritual, and are imbued with so much sanctity, sacredness and purity. Our dharma śhāstrās ingrain and emphasize the morality in our marriages.
Hence, our land is- 'Ekapatnī vraṫa Bhūm.'
