Shloka 5.37.2
हनूमत्सीतासंवादः — Hanuman’s Offer of Rescue and Sita’s Dharmic Refusal
अमृतं विषसंसृष्टं त्वया वानर भाषितम्।यच्च नान्यमना रामो यच्च शोकपरायणः ।।।।
amṛtaṃ viṣasaṃsṛṣṭaṃ tvayā vānara bhāṣitam |
yac ca nānyamanā rāmo yac ca śokaparāyaṇaḥ ||
O Vānara, what you have spoken is like nectar mixed with poison: that Rāma’s mind turns to no one else, and yet he remains wholly given over to grief.
"O vanara! you have told me that Rama has his mind always fixed on me, not on others and you have also said that he is sad. It is like offering me poison mixed with nectar.
The verse highlights truthful speech (satya) delivered with sensitivity: even true news can wound if it intensifies suffering. Dharma here includes compassion in communication—truth should not become cruelty.
In Aśoka-vana, Hanumān reports Rāma’s unwavering fidelity and also his deep sorrow; Sītā responds that this comfort is painful because it confirms both love and anguish.
Sītā’s moral clarity and empathy: she values Rāma’s steadfastness, yet feels responsible for his pain and reacts with compassionate concern rather than self-centered relief.