Shloka 3.58.4
सीतावियोगे रामस्य विलापः — Rama’s Lament and Inquiry on Sita’s Disappearance
यां विना नोत्सहे वीर मुहूर्तमपि जीवितुम्।क्व सा प्राणसहाया मे सीता सुरसुतोपमा।।।।
vigarhamāṇo 'nujam ārtarūpaṃ kṣudhā śramāc caiva pipāsayā ca |
viniśvasan śuṣkamukho vivarṇaḥ pratiśrayaṃ prāpya samīkṣya śūnyam ||
svam āśramaṃ sampravigāhya vīro vihāradeśān anusṛtya kāṃścit |
etat tad ity eva nivāsabhūmau prahṛṣṭaromā vyathito babhūva ||
Reproaching his downcast younger brother, the heroic Rāma—sighing heavily, his face dried and pale from hunger, fatigue, and thirst—reached the dwelling and saw it empty. He searched through his hermitage and followed the spots where she used to move about; then, on the very ground of their abode, he realized, “This is it,” and stood pained, his hairs bristling.
O warrior Lakshmana! where is that Sita without whom I have no interest to live for a moment, who was like the daughter of a god and a sustainer of my life?
Dharma as active responsibility: grief does not end duty—Rama immediately investigates, searches, and seeks truth (satya) through direct observation rather than assumption alone.
Rama returns to the hermitage, finds it empty of Sītā, searches the area she frequented, and realizes with dread that a calamity has occurred.
Rama’s perseverance and urgency in crisis—he acts despite physical exhaustion, showing steadfastness in the face of suffering.