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The classical Sanskrit prefix su- is an old adverbial, occasionally adjectival, particle from the earliest layers of Sanskrit, and corresponds in meaning to the Greek prefix ευ, i.e., it means 'good'. The root mith means to dash together or to meet, as in friends or adversaries, and mid may be a variant of it. mitra is probably a derivative of this root and means a friend or a companion, and is a solar deity in the vedic texts; in the related Zoroastrian texts, mithra is the god of oaths and covenants. With the feminine suffix -A, sumitrA, therefore, means a good friend or one with good friends.

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In the version of rAmAYaNa (=going ons of rAma) written by vAlmIki (=of the anthill), rAma (=charming)'s father dasharatha (=one with ten chariots), king of aYodhyA (=not to be fought) has three wives: kaushalyA (=daughter of the Koshala tribe), sumitrA (=good friend), and kaikeYI (=daughter of the KekaYa tribe). kaushalyA had son rAma and daughter shAntA (=peaceful), sumitrA had sons lakSmaNa (=(auspiciously) marked) and shatrughna (=killer of enemies), and kaikeYi had son bharata (=to be maintained). kaikeYi forces dasharatha to exile rAma and his wife sItA (=ploughed) to forest and name bharata as the king; an action that kills dasharatha with grief. lakSmaNa accompanies rAma to the forest, and bharata refuses to rule as king, instead ruling as his regent with Rama's shoes on the throne.