Valmiki Ramayana 2.30.16: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 30, Shloka 16
सीताया वनानुगमननिश्चयः · Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest
Spoken by Sita to RamaSetting: Ayodhya (palace; imagining forest life)Places named: vana (forest)Pre-departure; mental transition to forest dwelling
न मातुर्न पितुस्तत्र स्मरिष्यामि न वेश्मनः ।
आर्तवान्युपभुञ्जाना पुष्पाणि च फलानि च ॥१६॥
na mātur na pitus tatra smariṣyāmi na veśmanaḥ |
ārtavāny upabhuñjānā puṣpāṇi ca phalāni ca ||16||
വനത്തിൽ കാലാനുസൃത പുഷ്പങ്ങളും ഫലങ്ങളും ആസ്വദിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അവിടെ ഞാൻ അമ്മയെയോ അച്ഛനെയോ വീട്ടിലെ സുഖസൗകര്യങ്ങളെയോ ഓർക്കുകയില്ല.
Sandhi Notes
- मातुर्न पितुः = मातुः + न + पितुः
- आर्तवान्युपभुञ्जाना = आर्तवानि + उपभुञ्जाना
- वेश्मनः (gen. sg. of वेश्मन्)
Enjoying the seasonal flowers and fruits in the forest, I will not remember my mother or father or home.
The teaching
Detachment is not denial of love, but choosing the higher duty without clinging to comforts.
Duties in tension
- Filial affection toward elders vs. spousal duty to accompany husband
- Royal identity vs. ascetic simplicity
- Ethical theme
- Strī-dharma (as framed in epic context); vairāgya; duty-prioritization
- How it resolves
- Prioritization of sahadharma with conscious non-attachment
For your practice
Practice of vairāgya: train the mind to find sufficiency in simple, seasonal gifts; reduce dependence on external comforts.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Shringara (love)
- Mood
- Detached, pastoral, resolved
Themes
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Itihasa
- Ethics
- Renunciation
- Loyalty
Home is not a place but a state of identification; shifting ‘āśraya’ from external supports to inner resolve and dharmic companionship.
Īśāvāsya spirit of enjoying what is given without possessiveness; contentment amid changing seasons (ṛtu) as a mark of inner steadiness.
- Sita and Rama
- Spouses; shared exile as chosen joy (steadfast affection)
- Sita and Kausalya
- Daughter-in-law to mother-in-law; remembered but not longed for (respectful detachment)
- Sita and Dasharatha
- Daughter-in-law to father-in-law; remembered but not longed for (respectful detachment)
Mahābhārata (vanavāsa episodes where royal figures accept forest life and seasonal fruits); Rāmcaritmānas Ayodhyākāṇḍ (forest described as sweet due to Rāma’s presence)
āśrama ideals of simple living and seasonal fare in Smṛti literature
Ayodhyākāṇḍ 2.29–2.31 (Sītā’s repeated assurances of contentment in exile); Araṇyakāṇḍ pastoral descriptions of forest resources
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Even, unhurried cadence emphasizing ‘na … smariṣyāmi’
FAQs
Dharma is prioritizing rightful commitment: Sītā asserts that her chosen duty with her husband outweighs attachment to parental home and comfort.
Sītā argues she can adapt to forest life and will not be emotionally destabilized by missing palace life or family if she is with Rāma.
Detachment (vairāgya) and resolve—she frames exile not as deprivation but as a shared way of life.
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