Shloka 3.60.29
सीतान्वेषणविलापः (Rama’s Lament and Search for Sita)
नैव सा नूनमथवा हिंसिता चारुहासिनी।कृच्छ्रप्राप्तं न मां नूनं यथोपेक्षितुमर्हति।।3.60.29।।
naiva sā nūnam athavā hiṁsitā cāruhāsinī | kṛcchraprāptaṁ na māṁ nūnaṁ yathopekṣitum arhati || 3.60.29 ||
Surely that sweet-smiling lady has not been harmed—or else, surely, she would not ignore me when I have fallen into such distress.
O lady with a sweet smile! I have never hurt you. When I am in difficulty it does not behove you to ignore me.
Dharma here is empathetic responsibility: Rāma reasons that Sītā’s nature is compassionate and truthful, so silence suggests danger—prompting urgent protective action.
Rāma interprets the absence of Sītā’s response as a sign she may have been harmed, intensifying the search narrative.
Protective concern grounded in trust: he assumes Sītā’s goodness (sweet-smiling, not neglectful) and therefore suspects external wrongdoing rather than her intent.