Shloka 6.118.8
सीताप्रत्याख्यानम् / Rama’s Post-Victory Address to Sītā (Public Opinion and Royal Duty)
युद्धेविक्रमतश्चैवहितंमन्त्रयतस्तथा ।सुग्रीवस्यससैन्यस्यसफलोऽद्यपरिश्रमः ।।6.118.8।।
na hi tvāṁ rāvaṇo dṛṣṭvā divya-rūpāṁ manoramām |
marṣayet ciraṁ sīte sva-gṛhe paryavasthitām ||6.118.24||
Surely, Sītā, once Rāvaṇa had seen you—radiant in divine form and charming—he could not have endured keeping you for long within his own house.
"The prowess of Sugriva and also his army, his good advice and efforts in combat have become successful."
The verse reflects the tension between personal virtue and public suspicion: dharma in royal life is portrayed as intensely tied to perceived purity and social trust, even when that perception can be harsh.
In the aftermath of the war, Rāma speaks to Sītā in a severe tone, questioning the plausibility that Rāvaṇa could have kept her in his house so long without violating her.
Concern for royal propriety (maryādā) and public credibility—though it also exposes the ethical strain of judging by probability rather than direct proof.