Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 30: Rāma Allows Sītā to Follow Him to the Forest
Text 2.30.32
एष धर्मस्तु सुश्रोणि पितुर्मातुश्च वश्यता।
अतश्च तं व्यतिक्रम्य नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे॥
eṣa dharmas tu suśroṇi pitur mātuś ca vaśyatā
ataś ca taṁ vyatikramya nāhaṁ jīvitum utsahe
eṣaḥ dharmaḥ tu = is dharma; suśroṇi = O lady with beautiful hips; pituḥ = to one’s father; mātuḥ = mother; ca = and; vaśyatā = submission; ataḥ = so; ca = and; tam = that dharma; vyatikramya = by transgressing; na aham jīvitum utsahe = I don’t want to live.
O lady with beautiful hips, submission to one’s father and mother is dharma and so I don’t want to live by transgressing that dharma.
Rāma was engaged in carrying out the [dhārmika] instructions of His father.
Lord Rāma then anticipated that Sītā-devī might ask, “Okay. Set aside carrying out Your father’s instructions. We should just stay here while worshipping the Godhead.” Therefore He spoke the next verse.