Valmiki Ramayana 2.30.29: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 30, Shloka 29

सीताया वनानुगमननिश्चयः · Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest

Spoken by Rama to SitaSetting: Ayodhya (palace; decision crystallizing before departure)Places named: forest (vana/araṇya), Mithilā (implied by epithet Maithilī)Commitment to begin vanavāsa together

Devanagari script

यत्सृष्टाऽसि मया सार्धं वनवासाय मैथिलि ।

न विहातुं मया शक्या कीर्तिरात्मवता यथा ॥२९॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.30.29

Transliteration

yat sṛṣṭā 'si mayā sārdhaṃ vanavāsāya maithili |

na vihātuṃ mayā śakyā kīrtir ātmavatā yathā ||29||

Translation

„Da du dazu bestimmt bist, mit mir das Waldleben zu teilen, o Maithilī, kann ich dich nicht verlassen — wie ein Mann von Selbstachtung seinen guten Namen nicht wegwerfen kann.“

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• यत्: since/because
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: हेतौ निपातवत् (relative particle: since/because)
• Role: Hetu (हेतु)

• सृष्टा: created/ordained
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘created/appointed’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• असि: you are
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)

• मया: by me
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘by me’
• Role: Kartr-karana (कर्तृकरण)

• सार्धम्: together (with)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (with/together)
• Role: Sahartha (सहार्थ)

• वनवासाय: for forest-dwelling
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वनस्य वासः)
• Role: Sampradana/Purpose (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

• मैथिलि: O Maithili
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैथिली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय
• Role: Nishedha (निषेध)

• विहातुम्: to abandon
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√हा (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (Infinitive); ‘to abandon’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• मया: by me
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन
• Role: Kartr-karana (कर्तृकरण)

• शक्या: possible
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative); ‘possible’
• Role: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/विधेय)

• कीर्तिः: reputation
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• आत्मवता: by a self-respecting man
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (implicit जन/पुरुष)
• Role: Karana (करण)

• यथा: as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (as/just as)
• Role: Upama-marker (उपमा-सूचक)

Sandhi Notes

• sṛṣṭā’si→sṛṣṭā asi
• kīrtirātmavatā→kīrtiḥ ātmavatā

Context

Since you, O daughter of Mithila, were born to go along with me to the forest, I cannot abandon you just as a self-respecting man cannot forsake his reputation.

The teaching

True honor (kīrti) is not separable from righteous loyalty; abandoning the rightful companion is a loss of self-respect.

Duties in tension

• Protecting Sītā by leaving her behind vs. honoring her shared dharma and marital unity
• Personal convenience/safety planning vs. integrity and kīrti

Ethical theme

Pati-dharma; kīrti/ācāra-based ethics

How it resolves

Commitment to shared exile grounded in honor and dharma

For your practice

Strengthens vrata-bhāvanā (vow-mindset): keep commitments aligned with dharma and honor; supports steadfast companionship as a spiritual discipline.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Vira (heroism), with Karuna (compassion)

Mood

Unyielding, honor-bound, shared-vow

Themes

• Dharma
• Satya
• Maryada
• Marital duty
• Ethics

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā (Maithilī)
• Vanavāsa (forest-exile)
• Kīrti (reputation)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Marital fidelity and shared duty are treated as dharma; abandoning one’s spouse is likened to abandoning one’s kīrti (honour).

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma affirms that Sītā’s companionship in exile is inseparable from his own path and responsibility.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Integrity and loyalty—Rāma equates right conduct with preserving honour through steadfast commitment.