Shloka 7
तपस्विनाम् औत्सुक्यं राक्षसत्रासश्च
Ascetics’ Anxiety and the Fear of Rakshasas
कच्चिच्छुश्रूषमाणा व श्शुश्रूषणपरा मयि।प्रमदाऽभ्युचितां वृत्तिं सीता युक्तं न वर्तते।।2.116.7।।
kaccic chuśrūṣamāṇā va śuśrūṣaṇaparā mayi | pramadābhyucitāṃ vṛttiṃ sītā yuktaṃ na vartate || 2.116.7 ||
«Oder hat Sītā, obgleich sie mir dienstbereit ist und euch eifrig dient, nicht in rechtem Maß den Wandel bewahrt, der für eine Frau als angemessen gilt?»
Have the sages found my younger brother Lakshmana doing something unbecoming of him through inadvertence?
FAQs
The verse reflects dharma as social propriety within an āśrama: Rāma checks whether any breach of expected decorum has occurred, aiming to protect harmony and trust.
Rāma, trying to understand the sages’ discomfort, asks whether Sītā has unintentionally violated norms of conduct expected in that setting.
Rāma’s carefulness and concern for reputational and ethical clarity—he seeks to remove doubt through inquiry.