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I just had this doubt and I'm not asking this in a bad sense.

Rama and Sita get married and later they go to forest for 14 years. Then they come back to Ayodhya. Sita is then sent away when she was pregnant. My question is why did it take so long for them to have children? Thank you.

Sarvabhouma
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yamini
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    You don't know the half of it - after they came back from the forest, Rama and Sita lived in Ayodhya for 10,000 years before Sita became pregnant; see my answer here: http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/6527/36 – Keshav Srinivasan Aug 21 '15 at 20:27
  • I told nothing about the years... I just lined up the incidents.and obviously I don't know much about Ramayana and that's why I asked the question.thank you for your reply. – yamini Aug 22 '15 at 21:55
  • You're welcome. I was just saying that Rama and Sita waited for even a longer time than you may have thought, which makes it all the more interesting as to why they waited so long to have kids. – Keshav Srinivasan Aug 22 '15 at 22:29
  • @KeshavSrinivasan and Lakshmana,Bharat,shatrugana waited even longer :) ? – Friendy Aug 24 '15 at 15:21
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    @Friendy I'm not sure exactly when Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna had children. For instance, as far as I can tell this is the earliest chapter of the Ramayana that mentions Bharata's sons Taksha and Pushkala, who defeated the Gandharvas and established the cities of Takshasila and Pushkalavati: http://ancientvoice.wikidot.com/src-vrm:ram7-113 This chapter occurs right after the death of Sita, and Taksha and Pushkala are old enough to fight, but that's not saying much as Kshatriyas would start fighting at a fairly young age. But yeah, I'd expect the other children to be younger than Rama's. – Keshav Srinivasan Aug 24 '15 at 15:44
  • Thank you for your replies.my question is why.isn't that mentioned anywhere? – yamini Aug 25 '15 at 13:21
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    @Keshav - You say "..after death of seetha". So, when did this happen, which Ramayana says so? and you seem to be very keen and interested in killing Vishnu and his parivara devathas. Now, you kill poor goddess Seetha too, unfortunately. –  Oct 19 '15 at 02:41
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    Lets us not indulge in wild and foolish, speculative questions and equally wild and foolish answers and try to reason on every thing in the hindu scriptures. It is the the will and Choice of Raama and Sita to have children after 10000 yrs. Who are we to question? Tomorrow, some person will a question How did Shiva and Parvati carry on their amorous activities for thousands of years? Is there any reason behind it? What is the secret of their virility ?BTW, this incident also occurs in Valmiki Ramayana, where the birth of Kartikeya is told. –  Oct 19 '15 at 03:35
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    It reminds of one incident quoted by an elderly scholar : Once, when swami Desikan (13th century), the great Sri Vaishnava acharya was giving a lecture on Valmiki Ramayana to his disciples. One disciple got up and asked Swami, Why Ravana had put Seetha under a particular tree, when there were so many trees in Ashoka vana? Swami, in a lighter vein , replied back saying that, even if Ravana had chosen some other tree, some or other fool will rise and ask why did Ravana choose, this tree over others? Anyway, Swami did answer his disciple's query, is my understanding. –  Oct 19 '15 at 03:36
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    So, request moderators to please not allow such irrelavant questions which absolutely have no meaning or value..Sorry, for being bit caustic, but, there has to be a limit. These kind of questions and answers are nothing but buffonery and mockery of Hinduism in general. –  Oct 19 '15 at 03:53
  • I didn't ask the question to disrespect anyone or anything.At that time itself we had great scientific knowledge. Every word and action had a meaning.please don't put Hinduism in a box titled religion. Its the way a person should live ofcourse with spirituality and health.This question has meaning and value from my opinion. I don't mind if you don't get it.I wanted to know whether it is mentioned in any scripts if you don't know its okay.But don't frame this foolish.We take their examples to live life then why not this?Anyway when I asked the question itself I mentioned it was not in a bad sen – yamini Oct 25 '15 at 21:26
  • It would be tad foolish to have kids while traversing through the jungles. Don't you think? – Amit Saxena Apr 27 '16 at 16:43

1 Answers1

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Sita and Rama waiting for kids for a long time can be reasoned in four ways.

  1. It's completely their wish.

    Having kids and when to have kids is upto the wish of the couple. Both sita and Rama know their dharma. Rama is hailed as embodiment of Dharma in Valmiki Ramayana. Moreover, there is no evidence of a person or a situation that forces them to have kids very early. So we can leave that situation upto them.

  2. Age factor.

    Marriage of Rama and Sita happened at a very early age. Lord Rama was 13 years old. Sita was 6 years when marriage happened. Later they spent 12 years happily in Ayodhya.

    मम भर्ता महातेजा वयसा पंच विंशकः || अष्टा दश हि वर्षाणि मम जन्मनि गण्यते | (Aranya Kanda 47 Sarga 11 sloka)

    "My great-resplendent husband was of twenty-five years of age at that time, and to me eighteen years are reckoned up from my birth"

    समा द्वादश तत्र अहम् राघवस्य निवेशने || ५-३३-१७ भुन्जाना मानुषान् भोगान् सर्व काम समृद्धिनी |

    I stayed in Rama's house there for twelve years, enjoying the worldly pleasures belonging to human kind and fulfilling all my desires."

    ततः त्रयोदशे वर्षे राज्येन इक्ष्वाकु नन्दनम् || ५-३३-१८
    अभिषेचयितुम् राजा स उपाध्यायः प्रचक्रमे |

    Thereafter, in the thirteenth year, King Dasaratha along with his preceptors started to perform anointment of the kingdom to Rama, a celebrity of Ikshvaku dynasty

    See Karmanya Nanda's answer to see exact age and calculation.

  3. Rama went for an exile, not for a tour

    They were in teenage when they spent their happy time in the city of Ayodhya. A girl in her early teen cannot give birth to healthy child. So they had to wait for some more time to have children.

    When they reached an age of an adult, Rama and Sita went for an exile. Rama was ordered to lead a life of an ascetic.

    He says following words to his mother Kausalya before leaving to the forest.

    मन्युर् न च त्वया कार्यो देवि ब्रूहि तव अग्रतः |
    यास्यामि भव सुप्रीता वनम् चीर जटा धरः || २-१९-४

    "Oh, queen! you need not be indignant. I am telling before you that I shall go to the forest, wearing rags and braided hair. Become delighted well."

    Even though Rama objected Sita, Sita accompanied Rama to the forest. They lived in a hermitage. They lived a life of an ascetic with braided hair, wearing rags.

    In that situation, how are they supposed to think of having children? It is a bhoga (pleasure). They spent time in the forest but didn't think of progeny during their forest.

  4. Extra risk of having a child in a forest.

    Let us consider they thought of having progeny, then what would be the situation of pregnant woman Sita? Who shall take care of her in the forest? There are only two men i.e., Rama and Lakshmana. They can take help of some rishis but that would be against their vow of living an independent life in the forest. Remember the boon is living in the forest but not as another's guest.

    Forest is not an ideal place for humans. Forests of those days not only had wild animals, there were rakshasas too. If there were children, they should not only take care of themselves, a kid is an extra responsibility. For warriors like Rama and Lakshmana, it's not difficult but it's a risk to live in a forest with infants.

Rama is a prince (because he was not yet coronated as a king). His children would take birth in a palace if he waits for a few years. He can very well wait for some years thinking of welfare of his children and wife.

Lakshmana also went to exile along with his brother just for service. For a person like Rama, it doesn't sound nice to think of pleasures when younger brother is away from wife.

These are the reasons why Rama and Sita waited for long to have children.

Sarvabhouma
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  • nice answer, good job! I did not consider the risk aspect at all – DirghaChintayanti Dec 28 '19 at 14:21
  • You need to correct your last sentence to "These are the probable reasons why Rama and Sita waited for long to have children." Without any source to support your assertion, you can't be confident enough to say: "These are the reasons...". – Ubi.B Jan 12 '20 at 20:10
  • @UbiBhatt I added sources for every reason. Detailed description of dialogues can be found in Ayodhya Kanda between Rama, Sita and Rama and Kausalya. I added links for further reading. – Sarvabhouma Jan 15 '20 at 06:26