Shloka 5.68.4
सीताया यशोधर्मविचारः — Sita’s Counsel on Honor, Rescue-Strategy, and Hanuman’s Reassurance
मम चाप्यल्पभाग्यायास्सान्निध्यात्तव वीर्यवन्।अस्य शोकविपाकस्य मुहूर्तं स्याद्विमोक्षणम्।।।।
kathaṁ nu khalu duṣpāraṁ tariṣyanti mahodadhim |
tāni haryṛkṣasainyāni tau vā naravarātmajau ||
How indeed will those armies of monkeys and bears cross the great ocean, so hard to traverse? And how will those two princes, sons of the best of men, cross it?
'O valiant (Hanuman)! by your presence here, the less fortunate me, will be relieved of sorrow for a while.
Truthful inquiry in service of a righteous goal: Sītā’s questions aim at the practical fulfillment of dharma (rescue and restoration), not at despair.
Sītā, while hopeful, raises the logistical obstacle of the ocean separating the allies from Laṅkā.
Concern for others’ welfare—she worries not only for herself, but for Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and the allied host.