Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 62: Rāma’s Mental Confusion
Text 3.62.12
सीतया सह निर्यातो विना सीतामुपागतः।
कथं नाम प्रवेक्ष्यामि शून्यमन्तःपुरं पुनः॥
sītayā saha niryāto vinā sītām upāgataḥ
kathaṁ nāma pravekṣyāmi śūnyam antaḥ-puraṁ punaḥ
sītayā = Sītā; saha = with; niryātaḥ = I left [Ayodhyā]; vinā = without; sītām = Sītā; upāgataḥ = and [will have to] return; katham = how; nāma = then; pravekṣyāmi = can I enter; śūnyam = the desolate; antaḥ-puram = inner quarters; punaḥ = again.
I left [Ayodhyā] with Sītā and [will have to] return without Sītā. How then can I again enter the desolate inner quarters?
The inner quarters would be desolate because Lord Rāma would have returned without Sītā-devī.