Shloka 3.9.30
सीताया धर्मोपदेशः—शस्त्रसंयोगदोषकथा (Sita’s Counsel on Dharma and the Peril of Weapon-Association)
अक्षया तु भवेत्प्रीतिश्श्वश्रूश्वशुरयोर्मम।।3.9.30।।यदि राज्यं परित्यज्य भवेस्त्वं निरतो मुनिः।
kvaca śastraṃ kva ca vanaṃ kva ca kṣātraṃ tapaḥ kvaca |
vyāviddham idam asmābhir deśadharmas tu pūjyatām ||
Where is the bearing of weapons, and where is life in the forest? Where is the kṣatriya’s code, and where is ascetic tapas? Our presence here is like an encroachment; therefore let the custom and law of this land be honored.
You would have been on unlimited source of joy to my father-in-law and mother-in-law had you permanently renounced the kingdom for the life of an ascetic.
Appropriateness of dharma to place and role: in an ascetic forest, restraint and local norms (deśa-dharma) should guide conduct, rather than the warrior’s impulse to use force.
During forest life, Sītā urges Rāma to reflect on the tension between living as an exile among ascetics and acting in a manner driven by kṣatriya weapon-use.
Discernment (viveka) about context-sensitive duty—knowing when power should yield to restraint.