Shloka 28
सीताया धर्मोपदेशः—शस्त्रसंयोगदोषकथा
Sita’s Counsel on Dharma and the Peril of Weapon-Association
क्वच शस्त्रं क्व च वनं क्व च क्षात्रं तपः क्वच।।3.9.28।।व्याविद्धमिदमस्माभिर्द्देशधर्मस्तु पूज्यताम्।
kvaca śastraṃ kva ca vanaṃ kva ca kṣātraṃ tapaḥ kvaca |
vyāviddham idam asmābhir deśadharmas tu pūjyatām ||
持兵之道在何处，林居之行又在何处？刹帝利之法在何处，苦行之“塔帕斯”又在何处？我等在此，似有越界之嫌；故当敬奉此地之常法与风俗。
You would have been on unlimited source of joy to my father-in-law and mother-in-law had you permanently renounced the kingdom for the life of an ascetic.
FAQs
Appropriateness of dharma to place and role: in an ascetic forest, restraint and local norms (deśa-dharma) should guide conduct, rather than the warrior’s impulse to use force.
During forest life, Sītā urges Rāma to reflect on the tension between living as an exile among ascetics and acting in a manner driven by kṣatriya weapon-use.
Discernment (viveka) about context-sensitive duty—knowing when power should yield to restraint.