Shloka 3.61.4
सीतान्वेषणारम्भः — The Search for Sita Begins
वृक्षेणाच्छाद्य यदि मां सीते हसितुमिच्छसि।अलं ते हसितेनाद्य मां भजस्व सुदुःखितम्।।।।
vṛkṣeṇācchādya yadi māṃ sīte hasitum icchasi | alaṃ te hasitena adya māṃ bhajasva suduḥkhitam ||
“O Sītā, if you wish to tease me by hiding behind a tree—enough of this play now; come to me, for I am in great sorrow.”
O Sita! if you intend to make fun by hiding behind a tree, I tell you it is enough. Stop it and come to this extremely sorrowful man.
Dharma is shown as steadfast marital commitment: Rāma’s mind cannot accept Sītā’s absence and calls her back, reflecting the ethical centrality of conjugal loyalty in the epic.
After Sītā is taken, Rāma searches and laments, imagining she is playfully hiding and urging her to return.
Rāma’s single-minded devotion to Sītā and emotional sincerity.