Shloka 5.26.43
सीताविलापः — Sita’s Lament and Prophecy of Lanka’s Ruin
दृश्यमाने भवेत्प्रीति स्सौहृदं नास्त्यपश्यतः।।।।नाशयन्ति कृतघ्नास्तु न रामो नाशयिष्यति।
dṛśyamāne bhavet prītiḥ sauhṛdaṃ nāsty apaśyataḥ | nāśayanti kṛtaghnās tu na rāmo nāśayiṣyati ||
Love grows when one is seen before the eyes; friendship does not endure when one is not seen. The ungrateful destroy such bonds—but Rāma will not destroy them.
"Love attaches itself to one who remains before one's eyes.Friendship fades with separation. The ungrateful destroy love and friendship (as their love is conditioned by frequent meetings). But it cannot happen in case of Rama.
True dharmic love is not dependent on proximity; it is sustained by integrity and gratitude, not by convenience.
Sītā reflects on how separation tests relationships, and reassures herself that Rāma’s character is not like that of the ungrateful.
Rāma’s fidelity and constancy (anapāyinī prīti), contrasted with the fickleness of the kṛtaghna (ungrateful).