Sītā

views updated May 11 2018

Sītā (Skt., ‘furrow’). Consort of Rāma and considered therefore to be an incarnation of the Goddess Lakṣmī. She is the heroine of the epic poem Rāmāyaṇa. She was born as a result of her father's prayers, and is said to have sprung from a furrow ploughed by him; she is thus closely associated with the ‘mother-earth’ concept and is the Vedic patron of agriculture.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions JOHN BOWKER

Sita

views updated May 29 2018

Sita in the Ramayana, the wife of Rama; she is the Hindu model of the ideal woman, an incarnation of Lakshmi.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

SITA

views updated May 18 2018

SITA Société internationale de télécommunications aéronautiques (French: International Society of Aeronautical Telecommunications)
• Students' International Travel Association

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH