Sita Stavam is found in the 48th chapter of Sita Vijaya in the Ashramavasa Parva of the Jaiminiya Mahabharata. This devotional hymn celebrates the form of Sita that she took to annihilate Sahasramukha Ravana. It was narrated by Brahma himself.
Sita Stavam praises Janaki (Sita) not merely as the wife of
Rama but as the Supreme Divine Mother (Adi Shakti), identifying her with Yogamaya,
Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Gauri, Bhadrakali, and other manifestations of the
Divine Feminine. It describes her as the cosmic power that governs creation,
karma, and liberation, while affirming that only Vasudeva (the Supreme Lord)
fully comprehends her infinite glory.
ब्रह्मा
उवाच
त्वं
देवि सर्वलोकानां ईश्वरी भूतधारिणी ।। 1 ।।
ब्रह्मणो
वासुदेवस्य सखी दुर्जेय वैभवा
।
योगमायाभिधानासि
सर्वविश्वम्भरार्हसि ।। 2 ।।
माया
त्वं वैष्णवी दुर्गा लक्ष्मी गौरी सरस्वती ।
स्वाहा
स्वधा धृतिर्मेधा ह्री श्रीः पुष्णी'
तितिक्षमा ।। 3 ।।
वाराही
त्वं भद्रकाली स्वसात् कृत जगत् त्रया
।
तस्मात्
पराभिधाराधि परमात्मा प्रचोदिता ।। 4 ।।
शुद्धं
क्षेत्रज्ञं अनघं अहंकारजहीकृतम् ।
कर्मपाशावृतं
कृत्वा नानादेहेष्वसत् सुखे ।। 5 ।।
नियोज्य
कामादिवशात् बहुजन्मनिकेतनम् ।
विरचय्य
रमाधीशं विनोदयसि सन्ततम् ।। 6 ।।
त्वत्
वैभवं न जानन्ति योगिनो
वीतकल्मशाः ।
मुनिशापभयात्
अस्मान् विमुक्तान् कृतवत्सखि ।। 7 ।।
सर्वेषामपि
भूतानां परा त्वमसि जानकि
।
त्वत्तः
परो वासुदेवोऽन्वितः परमिहोच्यते ।। 8 ।।
त्वद्वैभवं
स वेत्त्येको नान्यो जानाति कश्चन।
नमस्ते
विश्वजननि विश्वरूपे नमोऽस्तु ते ।।9।।
विश्वधात्रि
नमस्तुभ्यं भूयो भूयो नमोऽस्तु
ते ।
इति
स्तुत्वा ततो ब्रह्मा प्रार्थयामास
जानकीम् ।।10।।
अत्युद्भुतमिदं
देवि तव तेजः सुदुस्सहम्
।
वीक्षितुं
न सहन्तेऽद्य लोकाः सह्युः अमानवाः ।।11 ।।
संहाराशु
महाभागे तेजस्तेजसि जानकि ।
मया
कृतं स्तवमिदं ये श्रण्वन्ति पठन्ति
च ।।12।।
तेषां
पापाः प्रणश्यन्ति आयुः श्रीश्चाभिवर्धते ।
विज्ञात्मा
यतते तेन यान्ति विष्णोः
परं पदम् ।।13।।
इति श्री जैमिनिये महाभारते आश्रमवासपर्वणि सीताविजये अष्ट चत्वारिंश अध्याये सीतास्तवम्
Sita Stavam Transliteration
Brahmā uvāca
tvaṃ devi sarvalokānāṃ īśvarī bhūtadhāriṇī ॥
brahmaṇo vāsudevasya sakhī durjeya-vaibhavā ।
yogamāyābhidhānāsi sarvaviśvambharārhasi ॥
māyā tvaṃ vaiṣṇavī durgā lakṣmī gaurī sarasvatī ।
svāhā svadhā dhṛtir medhā hrīḥ śrīḥ puṣṇī titikṣamā ॥
vārāhī tvaṃ bhadrakālī svasāt-kṛta-jagat-trayā ।
tasmāt parābhidhārādhi paramātmā pracoditā ॥
śuddhaṃ kṣetrajñam anaghaṃ ahaṃkāra-jahīkṛtam ।
karmapāśāvṛtaṃ kṛtvā nānādeheṣv asat-sukhe ॥
niyojya kāmādi-vaśāt bahu-janma-niketanam ।
viracayya ramādhīśaṃ vinodayasi santatam ॥
tvat-vaibhavaṃ na jānanti yogino vīta-kalmaṣāḥ ।
muni-śāpa-bhayāt asmān vimuktān kṛtavat-sakhi ॥
sarveṣām api bhūtānāṃ parā tvam asi jānaki ।
tvattaḥ paro vāsudevo'nvitaḥ param iho cyate ॥
tvad-vaibhavaṃ sa vetty eko nānyo jānāti kaścana ।
namaste viśva-janani viśvarūpe namo'stu te ॥
viśva-dhātri namas tubhyaṃ bhūyo bhūyo namo'stu te ।
iti stutvā tato brahmā prārthayām āsa jānakīm ॥
atyadbhutam idaṃ devi tava tejaḥ sudussaham ।
vīkṣituṃ na sahante'dya lokāḥ sahyuḥ amānavāḥ ॥
saṃharāśu mahābhāge tejas tejasī jānakī ।
mayā kṛtaṃ stavam idaṃ ye śṛṇvanti paṭhanti ca ॥
teṣāṃ pāpāḥ praṇaśyanti āyuḥ śrīś cābhivardhate ।
vijñātmā yatate tena yānti viṣṇoḥ paraṃ padam ॥
iti śrī-jaiminiye mahābhārate āśramavāsa-parvaṇi sītāvijaye
aṣṭa-catvāriṃśādhyāye sītāstavam।
O Goddess, You are the sovereign of all the worlds, the
sustainer of all beings.
You are the companion of Brahmā and Vāsudeva, whose glory is unconquerable.
You are known as Yogamāyā, worthy of upholding the entire
universe.
You are Māyā, the Vaiṣṇavī power, Durgā, Lakṣmī, Gaurī, and Sarasvatī.
You are Svāhā, Svadhā, steadfastness, intelligence, modesty,
prosperity, nourishment, and forbearance.
You are Vārāhī and Bhadrakālī, who has brought the three worlds under Her
dominion.
Thus, by the command of the Supreme Self, You inspire all
beings.
Taking the pure, stainless Knower of the Field (the individual soul), free from
ego,
You bind it in the fetters of karma and place it in various
bodies filled with illusory pleasures.
Subjecting it to the influence of desire and other passions, You cause it to
wander through countless births.
In this way, O Lady of Lakṣmī's Lord, You continually sport
with creation.
Even yogis who are free from sin do not fully know the extent of Your majesty.
O Friend, through fear of the sage's curse, You have
delivered us from bondage.
O Jānakī, You are the Supreme Power of all beings.
Beyond You, Vāsudeva alone is declared to be the Supreme
Reality.
He alone truly knows Your glory; no one else fully comprehends it.
Salutations to You, O Mother of the Universe! Salutations to
You who assume the form of the entire cosmos!
O Supporter of the Universe, again and again I bow to You.
Having thus praised Jānakī, Brahmā then prayed:
"O Goddess, Your radiance is most wondrous and
impossible to endure.
Today neither the worlds nor even the celestial beings are able to behold it.
Therefore, O greatly fortunate Jānakī, please withdraw Your
blazing splendor.
Whoever listens to or recites this hymn composed by me,
Their sins are destroyed, their lifespan and prosperity
increase.
Striving with true knowledge, they attain the supreme abode of Viṣṇu."
Thus ends the Hymn to Sītā (Sītā-stava), in the forty-eighth
chapter of the Sītā-vijaya, in the Āśramavāsa Parva of the Mahābhārata as
recounted by the sage Jaimini."