Shloka 3.61.6
सीतान्वेषणारम्भः — The Search for Sita Begins
सीतया रहितोऽहं वै न हि जीवामि लक्ष्मण।मृतं शोकेन महता सीताहरणजेन माम्।।।।परलोके महाराजो नूनं द्रक्ष्यति मे पिता।
sītayā rahito 'haṃ vai na hi jīvāmi lakṣmaṇa | mṛtaṃ śokena mahatā sītāharaṇajena mām || paraloke mahārājo nūnaṃ drakṣyati me pitā |
O Lakṣmaṇa, truly I cannot live without Sītā. This great grief born of Sītā’s abduction has made me as good as dead; surely my father, the great king, will see me in the next world.
O Lakshmana, I cannot live without Sita. I am filled with deep grief on account of Sita's abduction. My late father, the king will certainly see me in the other world (I will definitely commit suicide).
The verse presents the dharmic tension between grief and duty: Rāma speaks the truth of his anguish, yet the narrative invites the listener to restore him to purposeful action (search and rescue) rather than self-destruction.
Immediately after Sītā’s abduction, Rāma collapses into despair and tells Lakṣmaṇa he feels near death and imagines meeting his father again.
Rāma’s unwavering attachment to Sītā and his openness (satya) in expressing suffering.