Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 28: Rāma Refuses to Accept Her Request
Text 2.28.9
सग्रहाः सरितश्चैव पङ्कवत्यश्च दुस्तराः।
मत्तैरपि गजैर्नित्यमतो दुःखतरं वनम्॥
sagrahāḥ saritaś caiva paṅkavatyaś ca dustarāḥ
mattair api gajair nityam ato duḥkhataraṁ vanam
sagrahāḥ = filled with crocodiles; saritaḥ ca eva = rivers; paṅkavatyaḥ = the very muddy; ca = and; dustarāḥ = cannot be crossed; mattaiḥ api = with mad; gajaiḥ = elephants; nityam = at all times; ataḥ = therefore; duḥkhataram = is more miserable; vanam = a forest.
Filled with crocodiles, the very muddy rivers with mad elephants at all times cannot be crossed. Therefore, a forest is more miserable.
Therefore, the forest is more miserable than for the reasons set out in the previous verses.
Rāmacandra then anticipated that Sītā-devī might respond with, “But we can go through pathways that don’t go through waterfalls and son.” Therefore, He spoke the next verse.