Shloka 2.103.23
पिण्डदानदर्शनम् — The Queens Behold Rama’s Śrāddha Offering
तां परिष्वज्य दुःखार्तां माता दुहितरं यथा।वनवासकृशां दीनां कौसल्या वाक्यमब्रवीत्।।2.103.23।।
tāṃ pariṣvajya duḥkhārtāṃ mātā duhitaraṃ yathā | vanavāsakṛśāṃ dīnāṃ kausalyā vākyam abravīt || 2.103.23 ||
Embracing Sītā—wretched, grief-stricken, and emaciated from forest-dwelling—Kausalyā spoke to her, as a mother would to her own daughter.
Like a mother to her daughter, Kausalya embraced the wretched Sita, who was afflicted with sorrow, and emaciated due to her stay in the forest, and said to her:
Compassion aligned with dharma: Kausalyā responds to suffering not with blame but with protective, maternal care, honoring Sītā’s dignity amid hardship.
After the exile years, Sītā is seen in a visibly weakened state; Kausalyā embraces her and begins speaking with deep concern.
Kausalyā’s karuṇā (tender compassion) and maryādā (noble restraint) in treating Sītā as her own daughter.