'Sahadharmacarī': Ethics in the Sītā-Rāma Relationship in Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa

Abstract: This research reviews and reframes contemporary interpretations that compare and misinterpret Sītā, the protagonist of the Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, through the lens of modern reality television. The concern of the article is that - many modern critiques are driven by a feminist agenda that overlooks the foundational ethics of the epic. By analysing the mutual understanding between Rāmā and Sītā, this paper explores the psychological and dhārmic aspects of their relationship, highlighting how their roles were grounded in shared responsibility and leadership rather than oppression. In this article – for a man-woman relationship in modern family and society,  the example of the mutual understandings between Rāmā’s Sītā and Sītā's Rāmā is taken as a template. This article will go in the direction of analysing the shortcomings in the previously published article through the lens of modern reality television. Then it will be eventually substantiated by detailing the psychological aspects that played a pivotal role in the relationship between Sītā and Rāmā in the Indian Epic Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa.