Shloka 2.30.20

सीताया वनानुगमननिश्चयः — Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest

Devanagari script

पश्चादपि हि दुःखेन मम नैवास्ति जीवितम्।उज्झितायास्त्वया नाथ तदैव मरणं वरम्।।2.30.20।।

Transliteration

paścād api hi duḥkhena mama naivāsti jīvitam | ujjhitāyās tvayā nātha tadaiva maraṇaṃ varam || 2.30.20 ||

Translation

Even afterward, I would have no life left in me amid such sorrow. If I am abandoned by you, O my lord, then death at that very moment is better.

Context

If forsaken, O Lord! I shall not live a life of sorrow. Instant death is better (than abandoned existence).

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is framed as inseparability in rightful marriage: abandonment is portrayed not merely as emotional loss but as a collapse of the moral order of her life.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā argues that being left behind while Rāma goes to exile would be unbearable, equating it with a fate worse than death.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Uncompromising fidelity—she refuses a compromised life that contradicts her understanding of duty.