| Queen of Kosala | |
| Birth Place: | Kashi |
| Type: | Hindu |
| House: | Ayodhya |
| Spouse: | Dasharatha |
| Issue: | Lakshmana Shatrughna |
| Dynasty: | Kashi (by birth) Raghuvamsha-Suryavamsha (by marriage) |
| Religion: | Hinduism |
Sumitra (Sanskrit: सुमित्रा, IAST: Sumitrā) is a princess of Kashi and the queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Sumitra is the second queen consort of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, who ruled from Ayodhya.[1] Regarded to be a wise and dedicated women, she is the mother of the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.[2]
The name Sumitra is of Sanskrit 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: சுமித்திரைpronounced as /audio link/, Burmese: Thumitra, Malay: Samutra, Khmer and Thai: สมุทรเทวี Samutthra Thewi).
While Valmiki is silent on her parentage, later texts variously described her as a princess of Kashi or of Magadha, and belonging to the Haiheya clan.[3] She is called the daughter of Magadha, as per Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsham. Kalidasa wrote,
Sumitra was married to king Dasharatha, and is his second queen consort. In the Balakanda chapter of the Ramayana, Sumitra first appears.[4]
Sumitra performs the asvamedha yagna alongside Dasharatha and his two other wives in hopes of blessings for children.[5] At the sacrifice conducted by Rishyasringa to obtain sons for the childless Dasharatha, a divine being emerged from the flames with a golden vessel filled with divine payasam (a milk delicacy) prepared by the gods. Dasharatha offers half of this divine food to Kausalya, a quarter to Sumitra (i.e., literally 'half of that which remained'), an eighth to Kaikeyi (i.e., again, 'half of that which remained'), and then, upon reflection, gives the final eighth to Sumitra again.[6]
Consequently, Kausalya gives birth to the prince Rama and Kaikeyi to Bharata. Having received two portions, Sumitra became the mother of twins, Lakshmana and Satrughna.[7]
Her elder son Lakshmana married Urmila, daughter of Janaka, King of Mithila and her younger son Shatrughan, married Shrutakirti, daughter of Janaka's brother Kushadhvaja.
Kaikeyi manipulates Dasharatha into exiling Rama for fourteen years and crowning Bharata as the Crown Prince. Sumitra is known to encourage her son Lakshmana to go into exile with Rama.[8] 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 .[9]
Despite this, she sends her son in his brother's service.[10] 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."[11]
Neither the principal queen nor the favoured wife, Sumitra was single-minded in her devotion to her husband and to the senior queen, Kausalya.[12] 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.[13]
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,
After the exile of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana, the benevolent Sumitra consoles Queen Kausalya with her persuasive words:[14] During Rama's consecration, Sumitra offers her blessings to the prince:[15]