Rama and Sita

In the next sections that I read, during this time everyone was devoted to dharma; especially Rama, who was highly devoted to it. But the question I have is if Rama is truly devoted to dharma as he says he is? In the reading, Rama asks Hanuman to tell Sita that she needs to immediately come to Rama right after she is done taking a bath and adorning herself. While he says this, the scene switches to Sita, who at the moment is wearing a veil as part of tradition so that no one can see her face, only Rama. He feels so proud to have a wife like Sita that he says, “Neither houses nor clothes nor walls constitute a veil for a woman; her character alone is her veil, let her descend from the palanquin and walk up to me" (948). But suddenly Rama’s heart becomes full of conflict because he is so afraid of public ridicule. He continues that “I wish to let you know that all this was done not for your sake but for the sake of preserving my honor" (949).

While conflicting with his thoughts and feelings, he says, “Your body was touched by Ravana: how then can I, claiming to belong to a noble family, accept you?” Clearly to me, Rama isn't devoted to dharma as he says he is. He is putting a fake act on his face and in his heart for the sake of the people so that he can impress and look good in front of them. He even says that he can destroy all three worlds; with this talk he can make people fear him. Also, by talking with such emotion, by conflicting with his heart, and by second-guessing his affection for Sita, he makes people see him as authority and for that people will respect him.