ततस्तु सीतामभिवाद्य लक्ष्मणः कृताञ्जलिः किञ्चिदभिप्रणम्य च।
अन्वीक्षमाणो बहुशश्च मैथिलीं जगाम रामस्य समीपमात्मवान्॥
tatas tu sītām abhivādya lakṣmaṇaḥ
kṛtāñjaliḥ kiñcid abhipraṇamya ca
anvīkṣamāṇo bahuśaś ca maithilīm
jagāma rāmasya samīpam ātmavān
tataḥ tu = then; sītām = unto Sītā-devī; abhivādya = offered His respects; lakṣmaṇaḥ = Lakṣmaṇa; kṛta-añjaliḥ = while joining His palms together in supplication; kiñcit = and slightly; abhipraṇamya ca = offered His obeisances [unto her]; anvīkṣamāṇaḥ = while looking; bahuśaḥ ca = repeatedly; maithilīm = at Maithilī; jagāma = then went; rāmasya samīpam = towards Rāma; ātmavān = sober Lakṣmaṇa.
Lakṣmaṇa then offered His respects unto Sītā-devī while joining His palms together in supplication, and slightly offered His obeisances [unto her]. Sober Lakṣmaṇa then went towards Rāma while repeatedly looking at Maithilī.1
1 Bahuśaḥ literally means “many times.” Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: ātmavān dhairyavān.
1 Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s Dig-darśinī to this verse: nādhikuryāt, adhikāraṁ na kuryāt. yad vā strībhyo ’dhikāraṁ na dadyād ity arthaḥ.
2 In the Nag Publishers and BORI editions of Viṣṇu Purāṇa, the verse appears as text 3.12.20 thus: yoṣito nāvamanyeta na cāsāṁ viśvased budhaḥ, na caiverṣyā bhavet tāsu na dhik-kuryāt kadācana.
3 Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary on this verse runs thus: īrṣyā asahiṣṇutā tāsu na syāt. yoṣid-dhikkāraṁ na kuryāt. The Rāmānujīya Viṣṇucitta’s commentary is as follows: yoṣita iti. na dhik-kuryāt yoṣid-dhikkāraṁ na kuryāt. The point made here is that, as a general principle, an intelligent man should not (1) insult women, (2) trust them, (3) become intolerant of them, (4) lord it over them, (5) give them a position of authority or (6) ridicule them. Śrī Lakṣmaṇa has avoided each and every one of these six activities while dealing with Sītā-devī.
Lakṣmaṇa slightly offered His obeisances [to her] because [His respect for her was] mixed with anger. Anvīkṣamāṇo bahuśaḥ indicates that He regretfully thought, “How can I leave her alone and go?”
NOTE. Lakṣmaṇa’s way of dealing with Sītā-devī in this crisis is significant and brings to mind the following general instructions on how intelligent men are to deal with women:
yoṣito nāvamanyeta na cāsāṁ viśvased budhaḥ
na caiverṣyur bhavet tāsu nādhikuryāt kadācana
“Intelligent men should neither insult women nor trust them. One should never become intolerant of them, not lord it over them or give them a position of authority.”1
This verse appears in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa as text 11.108 among many others quoted from a conversation between Aurva and Sagara in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa.2
In his commentary to Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī points out that an intelligent man should never ridicule women.3