Shloka 5.24.33
सीताभर्त्सना — The Ogresses’ Threats to Sita and Her Vow of Fidelity
कुरुष्व हितवादिन्या वचनं मम मैथिलि।अलमश्रुप्रपातेन त्यज शोकमनर्थकम्।।5.24.33।।
kuruṣva hitavādinyā vacanaṃ mama maithili |
alam aśruprapātena tyaja śokam anarthakam ||5.24.33||
O Maithilī, follow my words as one who speaks for your good; enough of this flood of tears—cast off this fruitless sorrow.
'Mythili, act according to our advice. I am your well-wisher. Give up sorrow and stop shedding useless tears.
The verse shows ‘false counsel’—language of welfare used to push an unrighteous outcome. Dharma requires that advice be aligned with truth and justice, not merely presented as ‘beneficial’ by the powerful.
After threats, a rākṣasī shifts to persuasion, urging Sītā to stop grieving and to accept their proposal.
Sītā’s moral clarity: she distinguishes genuine good from manipulative speech dressed up as concern.