Valmiki Ramayana 2.30.7: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 30, Shloka 7
सीताया वनानुगमननिश्चयः · Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest
Spoken by Sita to RamaSetting: Ayodhya (palace setting, decision about departure)Pre-departure resolve to accompany to forest-exile
न त्वहं मनसाऽप्यन्यं द्रष्टाऽस्मि त्वदृतेऽनघ ।
त्वया राघव गच्छेयं यथाऽन्या कुलपांसिनी ॥७॥
na tv ahaṃ manasā 'py anyaṃ draṣṭā 'smi tvadṛte 'nagha |
tvayā rāghava gaccheyaṃ yathā 'nyā kulapāṃsinī ||7||
ഹേ അനഘാ, നിന്നെ വിട്ട് മനസ്സിലുപോലും ഞാൻ മറ്റൊരാളെ നോക്കിയിട്ടില്ല. ഹേ രാഘവാ, ഞാൻ നിന്നോടൊപ്പം തന്നെ പോകും; കുലത്തിന് കളങ്കം വരുത്തുന്ന മറ്റു സ്ത്രീകളെപ്പോലെ ഞാൻ അല്ല.
Sandhi Notes
- tvahaṃ = tv aham
- manasā'pi = manasā api
- draṣṭā'smi = draṣṭā asmi
- tvadṛte'nagha = tvadṛte anagha
- yathā'nyā = yathā anyā
O sinless son of the Raghus I am not like other women who bring disgreace to the family. I have not looked at any one except you, even with my mind's eye. I will go (to the forest) along with you.
The teaching
True fidelity is first in thought; integrity of mind supports integrity of action.
Duties in tension
- Rāma’s duty to safeguard Sītā vs Sītā’s duty/choice to accompany husband
- Individual safety vs marital dharma and shared exile
- Ethical theme
- Gṛhastha-dharma / personal integrity (ācāra)
- How it resolves
- Ethical self-testimony (inner purity) and vow of accompaniment
For your practice
Practice of mental purity and single-pointed commitment; guarding thought as the root of conduct.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shringara (love), with Vira (heroism)
- Mood
- Resolute, chaste, defiant
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Pativratā
- Honor
- Ethics
- Maryādā
Control of mind (manonigraha) as the first arena of purity; inner fidelity preceding outer action.
Emphasis on mind’s purity recalls Upaniṣadic stress on antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi as prerequisite for higher life.
- Sita and Rama
- Wife asserting exclusive fidelity and companionship in exile (devotional). Husband as sole object of regard; moral witness (protective (implied))
Rāmacaritamānasa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Sītā’s insistence on accompanying Rāma (parallel resolve)
Dharmaśāstra ideals of pativratā and kula-śuddhi (as social-ethical frame)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.27–2.30: debate on exile and Sītā’s arguments to go
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Udātta emphasis on 'na tvahaṃ manasā' and 'tvayā rāghava gaccheyam'
FAQs
The verse links dharma with inner purity and truth (satya) of intention: fidelity is not merely external conduct but also mental integrity, preserving family honor and moral order.
Sītā insists on accompanying Rāma to exile, countering any attempt to separate them by asserting her unwavering loyalty in deed and thought.
Chastity and integrity (śīla), expressed as faithfulness at the level of mind and action, along with resolve to share hardship.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
