Shloka 18
सीतया लक्ष्मणप्रेषणम् — Sita urges Lakshmana to seek Rama
The crisis of the ‘distressed voice’
कृतवैराश्च वैदेहि वयमेतैर्निशाचरैः।।3.45.18।।खरस्य निधनादेव जनस्थानवधं प्रति।
kṛtavairāś ca vaidehi vayam etair niśācaraiḥ | kharasya nidhanād eva janasthānavadhaṁ prati ||3.45.18||
ഹേ വൈദേഹി, ഖരന്റെ വധവും ജനസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ നാശവും മൂലം ഈ നിശാചരരാക്ഷസന്മാരോടു നമുക്ക് വൈരം പിറന്നിരിക്കുന്നു.
O best of women Vaidehi ! great Rama has entrusted your safty to me. I do not wish to leave you here alone.
FAQs
Dharma includes vigilance and realism: Lakṣmaṇa notes the moral and strategic consequences of past actions—enmity has been formed—so one must act with caution to protect the innocent.
Lakṣmaṇa reminds Sītā that after Khara’s fall and the defeat of Janasthāna’s rākṣasas, their enemies may use deceit or attack, making it unsafe to leave her unguarded.
Practical wisdom and protective foresight—Lakṣmaṇa frames the immediate danger within the larger chain of events.