Valmiki Ramayana 2.29.2: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 29, Shloka 2
सीताया वनगमननिश्चयः · Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest
Spoken by Sita to RamaSetting: Ayodhya (implied)Places named: vanaAnticipation of forest-life (vanavāsa)
ये त्वया कीर्तिता दोषा वने वस्तव्यतां प्रति ।
गुणानित्येव तान्विद्धि तव स्नेहपुरस्कृतान् ॥२॥
ye tvayā kīrtitā doṣā vane vastavyatāṃ prati |
guṇān ity eva tān viddhi tava snehapuraskṛtān ||2||
ការលំបាកដែលលោកបានរៀបរាប់អំពីការស្នាក់នៅក្នុងព្រៃ កុំចាត់ទុកថាជាទោសឡើយ; ចូរដឹងថាវាទាំងអស់ជាគុណធម៌ ប្រសិនបើអត់ធ្មត់ទ្រាំដោយមានសេចក្តីស្រឡាញ់របស់លោកជាមុខមាត់។
Sandhi Notes
- gajāścaiva → gajāḥ + ca + eva
- ye cānyē → ye + ca + anye
- adṛṣṭapūrvarūpatvāt → adṛṣṭa + pūrva + rūpa + tvāt
- dṛṣṭvā’pasarpeyūḥ → dṛṣṭvā + apasarpeyūḥ
Understand that the difficulties of forest life described by you will be turned into advantages if they are accompanied by your affection.
The teaching
Hardship becomes a virtue when endured with love and right intention; dharma is measured not only by circumstance but by the heart that bears it.
Duties in tension
- Avoidance of danger/suffering vs. embracing shared dharma in exile
- Protective prudence vs. courageous companionship
- Ethical theme
- Titikṣā / dharma of endurance and companionship
- How it resolves
- Attitudinal transformation (titikṣā + sneha)
For your practice
Practical sādhanā: reframe difficulties as tapas when anchored in love, duty, and remembrance; supports daily resilience practice.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Courageous, reframing, devotional
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Shared duty
- Renunciation
- Itihasa
- Ethics
Suffering is transmuted by saṅkalpa and attachment to dharma; the same experience becomes purifying when borne without ego and with loving alignment.
Titikṣā and inner steadiness as prerequisites for higher life (echoing later Vedāntic sādhanā-catuṣṭaya formulations, rooted in Upaniṣadic ethos).
- Sita and Rama
- Spouses; reframing Rama’s cautions as virtues through love (encouraging)
- Rama and Forest
- Anticipated hardships of exile (wary)
- Sita and Forest
- Tapas-like acceptance; transforming duḥkha into guṇa (fearless)
Bhagavad Gītā 2.14 (titikṣā toward pleasure/pain); Rāmacaritamānasa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa (forest as auspicious when with Rāma); Mahābhārata (tapas and forbearance praised as virtues)
titikṣā doctrine (endurance as virtue)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.29 (Sītā’s rebuttal of forest dangers); Araṇyakāṇḍa (later lived experience of forest hardships)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Encouraging
Uplifting madhyama-tāra movement on ‘गुणानित्येव’ with firm cadence
FAQs
Dharma is reinterpreted as inner orientation: when one walks the righteous path together, suffering transforms into merit (guṇa) through love, loyalty, and right intention.
Rāma has enumerated dangers of forest life; Sītā responds that those dangers become acceptable—even valuable—if she can be with him.
Sītā’s resilience and dharmic optimism: she reframes adversity as spiritually meaningful when aligned with righteous companionship.
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