Reading Notes: Reading B- Sita and Rama

Sita and Rama:

Rama and Sita talking after their reunion.
Source: British Library

Rama and Sita:

• In this story, Rama fetches Sita. Sita is thrilled to see her husband as she misses him dearly, but to her dismay, things are not as she wishes when she returns to Rama. Instead of embracing her warmly, as a loving husband would, Rama basically says that he cannot accept back a wife who had lived in another's home. Here I was confused, because did Ravana not capture Sita and hold her captive? Why was Rama saying these means and hurtful things to Sita? He had just gotten his wife back, was he not glad to see her? I cannot imagine what  Sita was thinking. She had basically been held prisoner and this is how she was repaid by her own husband. I would change this story and make Rama take Sita back immediately, with no second guessing. Another idea would be to put this in Sita's perspective, add dialogue and make it more modern, because at times, it can get confusing. This is yet another story that could fit into the definition of Dharma. As we can see, Rama does not do the right or justice thing to his wife, instead, he looks at what people will think about her being in the home of another. This was not fair to Sita. She did not ask to be captured or for her husband to act ashamed of her. It was not her fault and Rama had right to treat her this way. You can tell that Rama loves Sita, but I just do not understand why he would act like this to her. I understand things were different, but still, a wife being in another home due to her being captured, is no excuse. Another way to retell this story could be in the perspective of Hanuman. Hanuman was the one who found Sita, so it could interesting to hear things from his perspective and especially toward Rama's actions against Sita.
• Bibliography: Sita and Rama from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita