Shloka 5.68.13

सीताया यशोधर्मविचारः — Sita’s Counsel on Honor, Rescue-Strategy, and Hanuman’s Reassurance

Devanagari script

यथाऽहं तस्य वीरस्य वनादुपधिना हृता।रक्षसा तद्भयादेव तथा नार्हति राघवः।।।।

Transliteration

yathāhaṃ tasya vīrasya vanād upadhinā hṛtā | rakṣasā tadbhayād eva tathā nārhati rāghavaḥ ||

Translation

Just as I was taken from that hero in the forest by a rākṣasa through deceit—out of fear—so it would not be fitting for Rāghava to take me back in such a manner.

Context

'Tell valiant Rama not to take me back the way Ravana, the demon abducted me out of fear. Which is not right.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāma (Rāghava)
• Rāvaṇa (implied as rakṣasa)
• forest (vana)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma distinguishes righteous means from unrighteous: Sītā rejects rescue by fear or deceit because it would mirror the adharma of her abduction and diminish Rāma’s maryādā.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā cautions that Rāma should not retrieve her by a method resembling Rāvaṇa’s deceptive abduction.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s integrity and insistence on honorable conduct even under extreme suffering.