Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 39: Kausalyā Instructs Sītā
Text 2.39.38

संवासात्परुषं किञ्चिदज्ञानाद्वापि यत्कृतम्।
तन्मे समनुजानीत सर्वाश्चामन्त्रयामि वः॥

saṁvāsāt paruṣaṁ kiñcid ajñānād vāpi yat kṛtam
tan me samanujānīta sarvāś cāmantrayāmi vaḥ

saṁvāsāt = out of familiarity; paruṣam = harsh; kiñcit = in any way; ajñānāt = ignorance; api = or; yat kṛtam tat = for having been; me = Me; samanujānīta = to kindly forgive; sarvāḥ ca = all of; āmantrayāmi = I request; vaḥ = you.

I request all of you to kindly forgive Me for having been harsh in any way out of familiarity or ignorance.1

Saṁvāsāt (“familiarity”) refers to familiarity caused by living together.

1 The previous verse describes that these words of Lord Rāma to His many mothers were words of dharma—so they were not words of duplicity or flatter or artificial politeness. He did not speak these words to exploit emotionally vulnerable people.