Shloka 2.30.12
सीताया वनानुगमननिश्चयः — Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest
कुशकाशशरेषीका ये च कण्टकिनो द्रुमाः।तूलाजिनसमस्पर्शा मार्गे मम सह त्वया।।2.30.12।।
mahāvātasamuddhūtaṁ yan mām apakariṣyati |
rajo ramaṇa tan manye parārthyam iva candanam ||
O beloved, even the dust raised by mighty winds that might sting or trouble me, I will regard as though it were the finest sandal paste.
The white reeds, the kusha, the sara and the ishika grasses and thorny trees on the way will feel as soft as cotton or as the skin of a black antelope.
Dharma as joyful acceptance for a righteous cause: Sītā’s truth is that companionship in dharma outweighs bodily comfort.
Sītā poetically dismisses the pains of the forest, insisting that even irritants will feel pleasant if she is with Rama.
Cheerful endurance (sahiṣṇutā) and devotion—she converts suffering into something auspicious through intention.