Rama gives me whiplash. His actions and words consistently contradict one another, which, consequently, gives me pause and decreased understanding on dharma. I understand he is an avatar of Vishnu and therefore outside of complete understanding, but his dharmic actions seem thoroughly contradictory. This is represented most clearly in Rama’s interactions with Kausalya and Sita before his exile.
Rama is constantly regarded as just and wise and faithful, yet the text speaks to inequality between his understanding of women’s dharma. Sita, it says, “Loved Rama twice as much as he loved her” (102). Is this dharmic? How is his loving her less just?
As he is speaking with his mother, Kausalya, about his exile, he says, “A woman cannot abandon her husband. It would be a cruel thing to do and it, therefore, impossible” (129). And yet, he refuses to allow Sita to follow him into the forest saying, “Dearest wife, I am going into the forest. But you, my queen, must stay here and live in such a way that no one can criticize you. This is what I want you to do.” (132). How is it just or fair to forbid his mother to abandon his father and then turn around and attempt to abandon Sita?