Valmiki Ramayana 2.61.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 4
कौसल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship
सा नूनं तरुणी श्यामा सुकुमारी सुखोचिता।कथमुष्णं च शीतं च मैथिली प्रसहिष्यते।।2.61.4।।
sā nūnaṃ taruṇī śyāmā sukumārī sukhocitā | katham uṣṇaṃ ca śītaṃ ca maithilī prasahiṣyate || 2.61.4 ||
அவள் நிச்சயமாக இளமையானவள், கருநிறத் தோற்றமுடையவள், மென்மையானவள், இன்பத்திற்கு பழகிய மைதிலி—வெப்பத்தையும் குளிரையும் இரண்டையும் எவ்வாறு தாங்குவாள்?
How can the daughter of Mithila (Sita) who in the prime of her life, accustomed to comforts, endure heat and cold indeed?
FAQs
Dharma must be tempered by compassion: Kausalyā points to the foreseeable hardship imposed on Sītā, implying that righteous governance should avoid causing undue suffering to the blameless.
Kausalyā laments Sītā’s impending hardships in exile, focusing on the extremes of climate in forest life.
Sītā’s fortitude is implicitly invoked—she will be required to endure conditions far beyond her sheltered upbringing.
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