Shloka 5.37.44
हनूमत्सीतासंवादः — Hanuman’s Offer of Rescue and Sita’s Dharmic Refusal
अहमाकाशमापन्ना ह्युपर्युपरि सागरम्।प्रपतेयं हि ते पृष्ठाद्भयाद्वेगेव गच्छतः।।।।
aham ākāśam āpannā hy upary-upari sāgaram | prapateyaṃ hi te pṛṣṭhād bhayād vegeva gacchataḥ ||
As you speed through the sky above the ocean, I might, out of fear, fall from your back.
"When you fly over the ocean in the sky speedily I may tumble down from your back by your speed out of fear.
Dharma supports practical wisdom: acknowledging human limitation and avoiding choices that create foreseeable harm.
Sītā explains the physical danger in being carried at great speed over the ocean, reinforcing her refusal to flee immediately.
Sītā’s realism and self-awareness—she does not overestimate her capacity in a perilous plan.