Valmiki Ramayana 2.29.5: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 29, Shloka 5
सीताया वनगमननिश्चयः · Sita’s Resolve to Accompany Rama to the Forest
Spoken by Sita to RamaSetting: Ayodhyā (departure/exile decision context)Places named: ihā (here—Ayodhyā implied)Pre-departure; decision to accompany into forest
त्वया च सह गन्तव्यं मया गुरुजनाज्ञया ।
त्वद्वियोगेन मे राम त्यक्तव्यमिह जीवितम् ॥५॥
tvayā ca saha gantavyaṃ mayā gurujanājñayā |
tvadviyogena me rāma tyaktavyam iha jīvitam ||5||
Menurut titah para orang tua, aku wajib pergi bersamamu. Jika aku terpisah daripadamu, wahai Rāma, maka di sini juga aku harus melepaskan nyawaku.
Sandhi Notes
- tvatsamīpasthām = tvat-samīpa-sthām
- śaknōtirāghava = śaknoti rāghava
- surāṇāmīśvaraḥ = surāṇām īśvaraḥ
- pradharṣayitumōjasā = pradharṣayitum ojasā
In accordance with the command of the elders, I must accompany you to the forest. If I am separated from you, I will give up my life here itself.
The teaching
For one who has chosen the path of dharma, companionship in duty outweighs comfort; separation from one’s dharmic partner is felt as life-denying.
Duties in tension
- Sītā’s safety/royal comfort vs sahadharmacāriṇī duty to accompany husband
- Obedience to elders’ counsel vs Rama’s protective reluctance (implied)
- Ethical theme
- Gṛhastha-dharma / strī-dharma (as framed by the epic)
- How it resolves
- Prioritization of spousal-dharma aligned with elders’ sanction
For your practice
Cultivation of steadfastness (niṣṭhā) and loyalty in one’s chosen dharmic commitments; reflection on ‘saha-dharma’ as spiritual companionship.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shringara (love)
- Mood
- Steadfast, aching, vowed
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Pativratā-dharma
- Maryāda
- Ethics
Attachment is here transmuted into dharma-vow: the ‘self’ is experienced as inseparable from the beloved’s path, echoing the movement from egoic preference to chosen duty.
Implicit contrast with the Upaniṣadic ideal of inner self-sufficiency; here the narrative dharma foregrounds relational duty over solitary ideal.
- Sita and Rama
- Spouses; insistence on accompanying; life-bound devotion (devoted-determined)
- Sita and Elders
- Obedience to elders’ command/approval (reverent)
- Rama and Elders
- Son’s duty under elders’ authority (implied) (dutiful)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.27–2.30 (Sītā’s arguments to accompany Rāma); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Sītā’s insistence on going to the forest—parallel episode)
Dharmaśāstra traditions on pativratā and sahadharmacāriṇī (conceptual)
Araṇyakāṇḍa: Sītā as sahadharmacāriṇī in forest life (theme)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Mandra-nyāsa on ‘viyogena’ and ‘jīvitam’ to emphasize pathos
FAQs
Dharma is framed as obedience to rightful authority (the elders’ command) and steadfast marital duty: Sītā sees accompanying Rāma as her righteous obligation, not a matter of convenience.
On the eve of exile, Sītā speaks to Rāma in Ayodhyā, declaring she will accompany him to the forest and cannot bear separation.
Loyalty and steadfastness (ananyatā) in marriage—Sītā’s unwavering commitment to share Rāma’s fate.
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