Shloka 5.21.17
सीताया रावणं प्रति धर्मोपदेशः (Sita’s Dharmic Admonition to Ravana)
अहमौपयिकी भार्या तस्यैव वसुधापतेः।।।।व्रतस्नातस्य विप्रस्य विद्येव विदितात्मनः।
aham aupayikī bhāryā tasyaiva vasudhāpateḥ | vratasnātasya viprasya vidyeva viditātmanaḥ ||
I am the rightful wife of that lord of the earth alone—like sacred knowledge that properly belongs to a disciplined brāhmaṇa who has completed his vows, purified himself, and knows the Self.
"I am alone the lawful wife of the lord of the earth like the knowledge of the Vedas which rightfully belongs to a wise brahmin who has realised the self after having had his ceremonial bath (as a token of celibacy) and having observed strict vows during the period of his study.
Dharma upholds rightful belonging and propriety: Sītā asserts legitimacy (aupayikī) and rejects unlawful possession, paralleling how true knowledge belongs with disciplined virtue.
Sītā counters Rāvaṇa’s coercion by stating her lawful status as Rāma’s wife, using a dharma-based analogy of knowledge and the worthy knower.
Moral legitimacy and self-respect—Sītā frames her identity through dharma, not fear.