Sita (Sanskrit: सीता; "Sītā", also spelle Seeta) is the wife of Rama, the seventh avatāra of Vishnu, and is esteemed as an exemplary of wifely and womanly virtue. Understood theologically in Hinduism, Sita is an avatāra of Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort, who chose to reincarnate herself on Earth as Sita and endure an arduous life, to provide humankind with an example of good virtues. Sita is one of the principal characters in the Ramayana, a Hindu epic named after her husband Rama.