Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 28: Rāma Refuses to Accept Her Request
Text 2.28.5
सीते विमुच्यतामेषा वनवासकृता मतिः।
बहुदोषं हि कान्तारं वनमित्यभिधीयते॥
sīte vimucyatām eṣā vana-vāsa-kṛtā matiḥ
bahu-doṣaṁ hi kāntāraṁ vanam ity abhidhīyate
sīte = Sītā; vimucyatām = give up; eṣā = this; vana-vāsa-kṛtā = of residing in the forest; matiḥ = idea; bahu-doṣam hi = as being filled with several dangers; kāntāram vanam = a large and dreary forest 1; iti abhidhīyate = is described [by experienced authorities].
Sītā, give up this idea of residing in the forest. A large and dreary forest is described [by experienced authorities] as being filled with several dangers.
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhāva-dīpa: kāntāraṁ vartma durgamam (Amara).
A large forest is filled with serpents, thorns and so on.
GLOSS. A forest (kāntāra) is that in which there is no pleasure for a beloved wife (kāntā), that is, a place where a beloved wife will be unhappy. It contains inaccessible pathways.1