{"id":166,"date":"2014-11-20T14:57:37","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T18:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/?p=166"},"modified":"2014-11-20T21:26:32","modified_gmt":"2014-11-21T01:26:32","slug":"mismanaging-sita","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/2014\/11\/20\/mismanaging-sita\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Sita"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ACSAA_MICHIGAN_1039427122_VIR_lilyfedorko_1413163302576\"<\/a>

7. Sita\u2019s Ordeal by Fire, From a Ramayana. Ink and color on paper. 1600. The American Council for Southern Asian Art Collection at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. ArtStor http:\/\/www.umich.edu\/~hartspc\/acsaa\/index.html. October 12, 2014.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sita<\/a>\u00a0(popular heroine of the\u00a0Ramayana<\/a>),\u00a0as I<\/em> understand her, is no more than a woman who is desperately in love with her husband<\/em>. Personally, I\u00a0think we have all\u00a0seen the consequences and joys that come to those who\u00a0will do and\/or sacrifice anything<\/em> for love. Two of the most powerful forces in our world\u00a0are love and faith and Sita happens to be wrapped up in both. With power comes manipulation, however, as is seen across the world in most political arenas and as I intend\u00a0to demonstrate, happens to Sita.<\/p>\n

A brief and straightforward example is\u00a0the use of\u00a0Sita as inspiration for women to enter into Indian politics during the nationalist movement circa\u00a01930 (think Gandhi<\/a>). As explained by the scholar, Stephanie Tawa Lama in the International Review of Sociology, what she calls the \u201cHindu Goddess\u201d (used here<\/a> as a blanket name for the “main or typical” goddesses of Hinduism) is manipulated to suit many\u00a0situations. In the case of Sita, Lama explains\u00a0that Sita is \u201cdeliberately construed as a role model for women to engage in the nationalist movement\u201d(7). But instead of acting solely as a guardian for strong females, she is portrayed as having strength by\u00a0fulfilling her dharma as goddess, wife, and princess. To quote Lama once more, \u201cthe invocation of the Goddess legitimizes<\/em> people\u2019s participation in the movement\u201d(8). While the cause of incorporating women into all spheres of life is admirable, the submissive and passive aggressive nature of Sita may prove to be less than ideal for women hoping to stand up for themselves politically. However, it is exactly within the manipulation of Sita (i.e. ignoring her passive and accommodating personality and to focus on her ability to fulfill dharma) that causes her to become a \u00a0role model for Indian women interested in entering the political forum.<\/p>\n

\"ACSAA_MICHIGAN_1039428218_VIR_lilyfedorko_1413163427735\"<\/a>

Rama and Sita with Lakshmana and Hanuman. Ink and opaque watercolor on paper. 1765. The American Council for Southern Asian Art Collection at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. ArtStor http:\/\/www.umich.edu\/~hartspc\/acsaa\/index.html. November 20, 2014.<\/p><\/div>\n

As the pendulum swings so does the portrayal of our dear Sita. On this occasion we are presented with\u00a0a case in which Sita is employed as the epitome of docile womanhood (an application that I can readily understand having read Valmiki’s Ramayana<\/em>). In this\u00a0article<\/a> by Devdutt Pattanaik, he explains a literal interpretation of Sita\u2019s encirclement<\/a> upon Lakshmana leaving her in the hermitage to follow Rama\u2019s cry from the forest leading to Sita’s kidnapping by Ravana (I would want a golden deer, too, Sita). In the scenario\u00a0exhibited by Pattanaik in \u201cThreshold of Chastity,\u201d he demonstrates the way in which some use Sita\u2019s \u201cindiscretion\u201d (i.e. feeding a starving beggar who approaches – as her dharma commands) as a warning to all young brides to\u00a0never cross their threshold. In an interpretation almost too extreme\u00a0to understand, I can only quote the author,\u00a0\u201c[A bride] may \u2018cross the threshold\u2019 only twice in her life<\/span>: once as a bride on the way to her husband\u2019s house and the second time as a corpse on her way to the crematorium\u201d (22). If you, like me, are shocked and thinking, \u201cNo one stays in her\u00a0home all the time,\u201d there is still some glimmer of hope. The author goes on to explain that any other outing must be \u201cchaperoned\u201d and that \u201c\u2019stepping out\u2019… brings disgrace to the household!\u201d If this is not startling enough, an analysis of the situation might conclude that according to Sita’s\u00a0dharma, she\u00a0has<\/em> to feed anyone who approaches her begging for food. This makes\u00a0her fate impossible to avoid (damned if you do, damned if you don’t – literally). How is it then, that Sita can be blamed and even condemned\u00a0for crossing the line Laksmana made to feed a hungry hermit? This manipulation of Sita’s story seems so far from Gandhi’s manipulation of Sita’s persona.\u00a0We’ve gone from the nationalist movement\u00a0using Sita as an example of strength to\u00a0masogonists using Sita as a warning for all insubordinate\u00a0women.<\/p>\n

\"AMHOUSTONIG_10313911616\"<\/a>

Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita Cooking and Eating in the Wilderness. Gouache with Gold on Paper. 1820. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Artstor. www.mfah.org. November 20, 2014.<\/p><\/div>\n

It appears that even translations or the way that one reads the\u00a0text can lack consistency in the portrayal of Sita as well. Sally J. Sutherland writes in an article<\/a> entitled\u00a0Sita and Draupadi: Aggressive Behavior and Female Role-Models in the Sanskrit Epics<\/em>\u00a0statements that do not exactly match my<\/em> read of Valmiki’s Ramayana<\/em>. For instance, in reference to the moment in which Sita encourages Ram to retrieve the golden deer for her (again, it is a golden deer, who can be expected to\u00a0only watch it run by?), Sutherland exclaims that the consequence is that we are reminded of Sita’s “strong will” as “her most striking trait” (75). However, as I expressed previously, I find Sita’s character to come across as\u00a0submissive and only<\/em> find her to be passive aggressive with the conclusion of the epic, though Sutherland acknowledges this as a significant moment of passive aggressivity, she expresses feeling that way elsewhere in the story. Sutherland and I interpret differently again\u00a0in reference\u00a0to the end of the epic when she considers\u00a0Sita and Ram’s relationship as feeling “resolved” (78). On the contrary, I find it difficult to come to any understanding or settled feelings with the conclusion of the epic. Sutherland also goes on to explain that Sita’s action of essentially killing herself is “one socially acceptable manner of expressing [disaffection or disloyalty]” and describes it simply as “masochistic actions, actions turned against the self as a form of revenge against the aggressor” (78). I find these statements to be unnerving and\u00a0a little far-fetched. Would Sita’s final act be as impressive if this was just something that passive aggressive people did generally?\u00a0However, Sutherland concludes her paper with a feeling that masochism is a normative part of society.<\/p>\n

While no person, figure, character, or idea is straightforward and clear cut, there is a way in which religious figures can be\u00a0disassembled and then put back together to suit someone’s momentary needs. So, I pose the question in conclusion, how do we truly understand Sita when so many factors are biased? How do we sift through all of the manipulation to find the true person\/goddess?<\/p>\n

\u00a0WORKS CITED:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lama, St\u00e9phanie Tawa. \u201cThe Hindu Goddess and Women\u2019s Political Representation in South Asia: Symbolic Resource or Feminine Mystique?\u201d<\/a>\u00a0International Review of Sociology<\/em>\u00a0Vol. 11, No. 1 (2001): 5-18. Web.<\/p>\n

Pattanaik, Devdutt. \u201cThreshold of Chastity: The line that must not be crossed.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Parabola<\/em>\u00a0(Spring 2000): 19-26. Web.<\/p>\n

Sita\u2019s Ordeal by Fire, From a Ramayana<\/em>. Ink and color on paper. 1600. The American Council for Southern Asian Art Collection at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. ArtStor <\/em>http:\/\/www.umich.edu\/~hartspc\/acsaa\/index.html<\/a>. October 12, 2014.<\/p>\n

Sutherland, Sally J. \u201cSita and Draupadi: Aggressive Behavior and Female Role-Models in the Sanskrit Epics.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Journal of the American Oriental Society,\u00a0<\/em>Vol. 109, No. 1 (Jan-Mar., 1989), 63-79. Web.<\/p>\n

Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita Cooking and Eating in the Wilderness<\/em>. Gouache with Gold on Paper. 1820. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Artstor<\/em> . www.mfah.org<\/a>. November 20, 2014.<\/p>\n

Rama and Sita with Lakshmana and Hanuman<\/em>. Ink and opaque watercolor on paper. 1765. The American Council for Southern Asian Art Collection at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. ArtStor<\/em> http:\/\/www.umich.edu\/~hartspc\/acsaa\/index.html<\/a>. November 20, 2014.<\/p>\n

Valmiki.\u00a0Ramayana<\/em>, trans. William Buck<\/a> (Berkeley: University of California Press), 1997, 363-366.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sita\u00a0(popular heroine of the\u00a0Ramayana),\u00a0as I understand her, is no more than a woman who is desperately in love with her husband. Personally, I\u00a0think we have all\u00a0seen the consequences and joys that come to those who\u00a0will do and\/or sacrifice anything for … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2708,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[118],"tags":[25030,171121,165828,170547],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-student","tag-feminism","tag-issues-with-gender","tag-rel131","tag-sita"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5u6BD-2G","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2708"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":277,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/imorgens-rel131\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}