Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 30: Rāma Allows Sītā to Follow Him to the Forest
Text 2.30.18
यस्त्वया सह स स्वर्गो निरयो यस्त्वया विना।
इति जानन्परां प्रीतिं गच्छ राम मया सह॥
yas tvayā saha sa svargo nirayo yas tvayā vinā
iti jānan parāṁ prītiṁ gaccha rāma mayā saha
yaḥ tvayā saha saḥ = being with You; svargaḥ = is heaven; nirayaḥ = is hell; yaḥ tvayā vinā = [and] being without You; iti = this; jānan = understanding; parām = extreme; prītim = love [I have for You]; gaccha = go [to the forest]; rāma = O Rāma; mayā = me; saha = with.
O Rāma, being with You is heaven, [and] being without You is hell. Understanding this extreme love [I have for You], go [to the forest] with me.
Sītā-devī intends to tell Lord Rāmacandra, “Why should I say so much? Listen to my one and only conclusion in brief.” And then she speaks this verse.
“Being with You is heaven” means “Living with You is as good as heaven.” And “being without You is hell” means “Living without You is as good as hell.” She implies, “My happiness and unhappiness is only by being with You and by not being with You respectively.” Because of Sītārāṇī’s extreme love for Bhagavān Rāma, she cannot tolerate separation from Him. He has experienced this in the past too.