ततस्त्वां प्रस्थितं दृष्ट्वा मम चिन्ताकुलं मनः।
त्वद्वृत्तं चिन्तयन्त्या वै भवेन्निःश्रेयसं हितम्॥
tatas tvāṁ prasthitaṁ dṛṣṭvā mama cintākulaṁ manaḥ
tvad-vṛttaṁ cintayantyā vai bhaven niḥśreyasaṁ hitam
tataḥ = after; tvām = Your; prasthitam = departure; dṛṣṭvā = seeing; mama = my; cintā-ākulam = filled with anxiety; manaḥ = mind; tvad-vṛttam = and activities; cintayantyāḥ = while contemplating; vai bhavet = is; niḥśreyasam = about Your happiness; hitam = and welfare.
After seeing Your departure and activities, my mind is filled with anxiety while contemplating about Your happiness and welfare.1
1 Mother Sītā’s contemplation about Lord Rāma’s happiness and welfare should not be misunderstood to mean that she was worried about His “next life.” Rāmacandra does not have a material body or mind, and so there is no question of a “next life” for Him. The Supreme Personality of Godhead repeatedly appears in this world—but He does not reincarnate like the conditioned souls—because He is completely sac-cid-ānanda. This is clear from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which clarifies the intent of all Vedic scriptures.
1 This means, “And You will not harm those who are not hostile to You.”
2 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: yasya kasyacid vaira-mūlasya karaṇe tad aham eva syām.
Tvad-vṛttam, referring to Lord Rāmacandra’s activities, indicates that Sītā-devī had noted that He was true to His promises, that He was only interested in His own wife and so on.
She implies, “As one who is true to His promises, Your Lordship will not desist from killing the rākṣasas. And You will not harm others without hostility.1 If at all there is a cause for hostility, it would only be me.2 As one who has vowed to stick to one wife only, You will be unable to tolerate being separated from me. So how can this [killing of the rākṣasas without being separated from me] be accomplished?”
Rāma might want to ask her, “So what should be done?” Anticipating this, she speaks the next verse.