Shloka 2.29.12
सीताया वनगमननिश्चयः — Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest
वनवासेऽभिजानामि दुःखानि बहुथा किल।प्राप्यन्ते नियतं वीर पुरुषैरकृतात्मभिः।।।।
vanavāse 'bhijānāmi duḥkhāni bahudhā kila | prāpyante niyataṃ vīra puruṣair akṛtātmabhiḥ || 2.29.12 ||
O hero, I know well that life in the forest brings many kinds of hardships; yet such sufferings surely befall those men who have not mastered themselves.
I am aware, O valiant one, that there are hardships of every kind in forest life. But they befall those whose senses are not under their control.
Dharma is linked to self-mastery: external hardship becomes spiritually manageable when the senses and mind are disciplined.
Sītā answers Rāma’s fear for her safety by asserting that hardship is not decisive for the self-controlled.
Inner discipline—Sītā presents courage grounded in restraint and steadiness rather than mere optimism.