क्व च शस्त्रं क्व च वनं क्व च क्षात्रं तपः क्व च।
व्याविद्धमिदमस्माभिर्देशधर्मस्तु पूज्यताम्॥
kva ca śastraṁ kva ca vanaṁ kva ca kṣātraṁ tapaḥ kva ca
vyāviddham idam asmābhir deśa-dharmas tu pūjyatām
kva ca = where; śastram = are the weapons; kva ca = and where; vanam = is the forest; kva ca = where; kṣātram = is the dharma of a kṣatriya; tapaḥ = is austerity; kva ca = and where; vyāviddham = are mutually contradictory; idam = these; asmābhiḥ = let us; deśa-dharmaḥ = the duty appropriate to this place; tu = rather; pūjyatām = honor.
Where are the weapons and where is the forest? Where is the dharma of a kṣatriya and where is austerity? These are mutually contradictory. Let us rather honor the duty appropriate to this place.
1 The presence of weapons contradicts being in a forest. The dharma of a kṣatriya contradicts austerity.
Sītā-devī then anticipates that Lord Rāma might say, “I am wielding My bow [only] for the sake of protecting [the distressed]” and points out in this verse that such wielding of weapons was also inappropriate [while they were in the forest]; it was [only] appropriate when Rāma was maintaining His kingdom.
“These are mutually contradictory” refers to weapons and forest as well as the dharma of a kṣatriya and austerity.1 She intends to tell Him, “Let us not honor these mutual contradictions.” Deśa-dharmaḥ (“the duty appropriate to this place”) refers to the dharma appropriate to a forest for austerity (tapovana). In other words, she requested Him, “Giving up the dharma of a kṣatriya and weapons, let us just reside in the forest and perform austerities.”
But why wouldn’t the opposite happen [by using weapons in the forest to kill the rākṣasas]? She states that in the next verse.