In anticipation of the many ordeals that they would have to face in the forest Rama tried to dissuade Sita, "Sita! Born of a noble race, at this hour of need your duty is to do that which is righteous and not that which is suitable. You are too delicate for life in the wilderness choked with vine and bush. Great storms visit those miles of greenery, plunging it in darkness even by day and peril lies every where. Birds of prey infest the skies and large slithering snakes, that twist and turn tortuously, infest the land. The canopy of the forest will be our roof, the leaves shed by it our bed and the fruit our food. How can a princess so fragile, so used to the luxuries of a palace, survive the forest?"

"Though living in the forest, the devatas, the ancestors and the guests who visit must be offered ritual worship. Bathing three times a day and gathering flowers for the daily prayers is a must. Devoid of anger and desire one should spend time in penance, sustaining on what ever is available. For all these reasons and the one of your helplessness as a woman, habitation in the jungles is impossible." No hurdle mentioned by Rama daunted Sita and no plea was going to hold her back from following him. So when Rama announced his final decision, she grew defiant and readied herself to fight her cause.