Shloka 17
सीताहनूमद्भाषणम्
Sita Tests the Messenger; Hanuman Offers Reassurance
अथवा नैतदेवं हि यन्मया परिशङ्कितम्।।।।मनसो हि मम प्रीतिरुत्पन्ना तव दर्शनात्।
athavā naitad eva hi yan mayā pariśaṅkitam | manaso hi mama prītir utpannā tava darśanāt ||
अथवा मया यत् परिशङ्कितं नैतदेव; तव दर्शनात् मम मनसि हि प्रीतिरुत्पन्ना।
"May be my suspicion is not correct! Because I am experiencing pleasure in my mind in your presence.
FAQs
Dharma here is careful discernment: Sītā does not surrender to fear or assumption, but tests her own suspicion against inner evidence, moving toward truth (satya) through reflection.
In Aśoka-vana, Sītā encounters a vanara who speaks of Rāma; she wavers between suspicion (a demon’s trick) and hope, noting the unexpected joy his presence brings.
Sītā’s viveka (discriminating judgment) and steadiness: she monitors her emotions and evaluates whether her doubt is justified.