Shloka 5.24.22
सीताभर्त्सना — The Ogresses’ Threats to Sita and Her Vow of Fidelity
परितुष्टास्मि भद्रं ते मानुषस्ते कृतो विधिः।।5.24.22।।ममापि तु वचः पथ्यं ब्रुवन्त्याः कुरु मैथिलि।
parituṣṭāsmi bhadraṃ te mānuṣas te kṛto vidhiḥ || 5.24.22 ||
mamāpi tu vacaḥ pathyaṃ bruvantyāḥ kuru maithili |
“O Maithilī, be at ease—I am satisfied. You have done what is expected of a human being. Now, however, follow my counsel as well, for I speak what is wholesome for you.”
"O Mythili! I beseech you (to oblige Ravana). You have discharged your duty as a human being. Be happy. But you should also heed my advice which is, after all, salutary.
The verse frames “duty” (vidhi) and “wholesome counsel” (pathya) as ethical categories, but in context it shows how dharma-language can be used manipulatively: the speaker praises Sītā’s conduct to pressure her into compliance.
In Aśoka-vana, rākṣasīs alternately cajole and intimidate Sītā, urging her to accept Rāvaṇa; this line is part of the cajoling phase, presenting the speaker’s advice as benevolent.
Sītā’s steadfast adherence to marital fidelity is implicitly acknowledged—she has ‘done her human duty’—even though the speaker twists that acknowledgment to push an unethical outcome.