Shloka 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 ||
ನಾನು ಆ ಭೂಪತಿಯೇ ಆದ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಯೋಗ್ಯವಾದ ಧರ್ಮಪತ್ನಿ—ವ್ರತಸ್ನಾತನಾಗಿ ಸಂಯಮದಿಂದಿರುವ, ಆತ್ಮಜ್ಞಾನಿಯಾದ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣನಿಗೆ ವಿದ್ಯೆ ಯಥಾರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ಸೇರಿರುವಂತೆ.
"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.
FAQs
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.