Ramayana — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 37, Shloka 58
हनूमत्सीतासंवादः
Hanuman’s Offer of Rescue and Sita’s Dharmic Refusal
मयि जीवितमायत्तं राघवस्य महात्मनः।भ्रात्रूणां च महाबाहो तव राजकुलस्य च।।।।
mayi jīvitam āyattaṃ rāghavasya mahātmanaḥ | bhrātṝṇāṃ ca mahābāho tava rāja-kulasya ca ||
O mighty-armed one, the very life of the great-souled Rāghava—and of his brothers, and of your king’s entire royal house—hangs upon my survival.
"O strong-armed Hanuman! your life and the life of the great self Rama, of his brother, and relatives of your king is dependent upon my survival.
FAQs
Dharma is presented as mutual responsibility: the welfare of many depends on protecting the innocent; Sītā frames her safety as pivotal to the moral and emotional stability of the righteous.
Sītā stresses to Hanumān that her continued life is critical; if she perishes, Rāma and others may lose the will to live, jeopardizing the whole dharmic mission.
Sītā’s empathy and accountability—she considers the consequences of her fate on a wider community.