Before She Met Rāma: Gender and Analogical Thought in Sītā’s Pre-Epic History

Abstract

This article, “Before She Met Rāma: Gender and Analogical Thought in Sītā’s Pre-Epic History” by Michael Brattus Jones, reconstructs a proto-history of Sita using Vedic and pre-Vedic sources. Jones argues that Sita’s divine identity precedes the Rāmāyaṇa, emerging from agrarian and cosmic symbolism linked to sacred femininity. Through gendered analogical reasoning, the article illustrates how Sita evolved into the ideal consort of Viṣṇu’s avatāra, influencing Indian understandings of womanhood, dharma, and divinity.