Shloka 3.60.30
सीतान्वेषणविलापः (Rama’s Lament and Search for Sita)
व्यक्तं सा भक्षिता बाला राक्षसैः पिशिताशनैः।विभज्याङ्कानि सर्वाणि मया विरहिता प्रिया।।3.60.30।।
vyaktaṃ sā bhakṣitā bālā rākṣasaiḥ piśitāśanaiḥ | vibhajyāṅgāni sarvāṇi mayā virahitā priyā || 3.60.30 ||
It seems certain to him that, separated from him, his young beloved has been torn limb from limb and devoured by flesh-eating rākṣasas.
It is clear that separated from me, the body of my young beloved is torn off and eaten away by carnivorous demons.
The verse highlights accountability within dharma: Rāma’s grief turns into self-reproach—he feels that separation caused by circumstance has exposed Sītā to danger, underscoring the ruler/guardian’s duty to protect.
In panic after not finding Sītā, Rāma imagines the worst—that rākṣasas have killed and eaten her.
Conscientious responsibility—Rāma’s immediate instinct is not denial but moral concern and self-scrutiny.