Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 28: Rāma Refuses to Accept Her Request
Text 2.28.6
हितबुद्ध्या खलु वचो मयैतदभिधीयते।
सदा सुखं न जानामि दुःखमेव सदा वनम्॥
hita-buddhyā khalu vaco mayaitad abhidhīyate
sadā sukhaṁ na jānāmi duḥkham eva sadā vanam
hita-buddhyā = for your good; khalu = only; vacaḥ = words; mayā = I am; etat = these; abhidhīyate = speaking; sadā = constant; sukham = there will be happiness [there]; na jānāmi = I don’t consider that; duḥkham eva sadā = is nothing but misery; vanam = a forest.
I am speaking these words only for your good. I don’t consider that there will be constant happiness [there]. A forest is nothing but misery.
1 He was considering the difficulties she would face. These considerations were out of His selfless love for her.
“For your good” indicates that Śrī Rāmacandra did not speak these words with the thought that maintaining Sītā-devī would be difficult for Him.1