Shloka 5.28.3
सीताविलापः (Sita’s Lament and Resolve under Threat)
सत्यं बतेदं प्रवदन्ति लोके नाकालमृत्युर्भवतीति सन्तः।यत्राहमेवं परिभर्त्स्यमानाजीवामि दीना क्षणमप्यपुण्या।।5.28.3।।
satyaṃ batedaṃ pravadanti loke nākālamṛtyur bhavatīti santaḥ |
yatrāham evaṃ paribhartsya-mānā jīvāmi dīnā kṣaṇam apy apuṇyā ||5.28.3||
Alas, what the wise say in this world is indeed true: death does not come before its appointed time. For here I, though thus being harshly threatened, still live on—wretched and meritless.
"Even though I am threatened like this, I am living pitiably because of lack of merit. Indeed I regret my survival due to my bad luck. Elders say that death will not ocurr before its time. It seems to be true.
Sita affirms as true the saying of the wise that death does not occur before its destined time, showing her commitment to truth even while suffering.
She interprets her continued suffering as the fruit of deficient merit, reflecting the dharmic idea that experiences can be understood through karma and moral causality, even though she herself is virtuous.