Sundarakanda Sarga 15: The Sight of Sita (Full Text & Meaning) 

Summary of Sarga 15

| Detail | Total Shlokas: 55 | Primary Character: Hanuman (Maruti) & Sita Devi | Key Events: Sītōpalaṁbhaḥ (Discovery of Sita), Aśōkavanikā-Varṇanam (Description of the Grove), Abharaṇa-Pratyabhijñānam (Recognition of Ornaments) | Location: Ashoka Grove, Lanka |

Section 1: The Splendor of the Grove (Shlokas 1–14)

sa vīkṣamāṇastatrasthō mārgamāṇaśca maithilīm | avēkṣamāṇaśca mahīṅ sarvāṅ tāmanvavaikṣata || 1

Remaining in that spot (on simshupa tree), Hanuman continued to search for Maithili (Sita), carefully and thoroughly surveying the entire surrounding region (1)

santānakalatābhiśca pādapairupaśōbhitām | divyagandharasōpētāṅ sarvatassamalaṅkṛtām || 2 

tāṅ sa nandanasaṅkāśāṅ mṛgapakṣibhirāvṛtām | harmyaprāsādasambādhāṅ kōkilākulanissvanām || 3 

kāñcanōtpalapadmābhirvāpībhirupaśōbhitām | bahvāsanakuthōpētāṅ bahubhūmigṛhāyutām || 4 

sarvartukusumai ramyāṅ phalavadbhiśca pādapaiḥ | puṣpitānāmaśōkānāṅ śriyā sūryōdayaprabhām || 5 

pradīptāmiva tatrasthō mārutissamudaikṣata | niṣpatraśākhāṅ vihagaiḥ kriyamāṇāmivāsakṛt || 6 

viniṣpatadbhiḥ śataśaścitraiḥ puṣpāvataṅsakaiḥ | āmūlapuṣpanicitairaśōkaiśśōkanāśanaiḥ || 7 

puṣpabhārātibhāraiśca spṛśadbhiriva mēdinīm | karṇikāraiḥ kusumitaiḥ kiṅśukaiśca supuṣpitaiḥ || 8

He (Hanuman) beheld that Ashoka Grove (Ashokavanika) which was adorned with trees like Santana and Kalata, endowed with divine fragrance and flavors, and beautiful in every part. It resembled Indra’s Nandanavana, teeming with diverse animals and birds, and crowded with mansions and palaces that resonated with the sweet, continuous calls of cuckoos.

It was further graced with step-wells (ponds) where lotuses and lilies shone like gold, contained many subterranean houses, and was furnished with numerous couches and carpets. The grove was lovely with trees bearing flowers of all seasons as well as abundant fruits.

The Ashoka trees, laden with blossoms from root to top—trees that banish all sorrow—shone with a brilliance like the rising sun. The Son of the Wind-God (Hanuman), standing there, gazed upon it as if it were blazing with light. The sheer number of hundreds of colorful birds descending and taking flight created such a dense cover that it seemed as though the trees were bare, stripped of their leaves. As the birds flew carrying flowers in their beaks, it seemed as though the trees were decorated with colorful blossoms. The Ashoka trees, whose branches were heavily burdened with flowers, and the profusely blooming Karṇikāra and Kiṅśuka trees, were so dense that the Karṇikāra (Oleander) flowers appeared to be touching the earth. (2 - 8)

sa dēśaḥ prabhayā tēṣāṅ pradīpta iva sarvataḥ | punnāgāssaptaparṇāśca campakōddālakāstathā || 9 

vivṛddhamūlā bahavaśśōbhantē sma supuṣpitāḥ | śātakumbhanibhāḥ kēcitkēcidagniśikhōpamāḥ || 10 

nīlāñjananibhāḥ kēcittatrāśōkāssahasraśaḥ | nandanaṅ vividhōdyānaṅ citraṅ caitrarathaṅ yathā || 11

That entire area, illuminated by the splendor of those trees, seemed to be ablaze everywhere. Many trees, including Punnāga, Saptaparṇa (Banana trees with seven leaves), Campaka, and Uddālaka, stood with well-developed roots, shining brightly under their abundant blossoms. Among them were thousands of Ashoka trees: some shining like pure gold, some resembling flames of fire, and others appearing like blue collyrium. With its diverse and marvelous groves, the entire garden rivaled the beauty of the Indra’s Nandanavana and Kubera’s Chaitraratha garden. (9 - 11)

ativṛttamivācintyaṅ divyaṅ ramyaṅ śriyā vṛtam | vitīyamiva cākāśaṅ puṣpajyōtirgaṇāyutam || 12

It was transcendent and unimaginable, divine, lovely, and replete with splendor. It was, as it were, a second sky, filled with a multitude of flowers that shone like stars. (12)

puṣparatnaśataiścitraṅ paṁcamaṁ sāgaraṅ yathā | sarvartupuṣpairnicitaṅ pādapairmadhugandhibhiḥ || 13 

nānāninādairudyānaṅ ramyaṅ mṛgagaṇairdvijaiḥ | anēkagandhapravahaṅ puṇyagandhaṅ manōramam || śailēndramiva gandhāḍhyaṅ dvitīyaṅ gandhamādanam || 14

Adorned with hundreds of blossoms shining like jewels, the grove resembled a second ocean, or even a fifth ocean supplementing the four that surround Lanka. This delightful garden was dense with trees bearing fragrant, honey-scented flowers of all seasons and was charming with the sounds of various animals and birds, permeated by a pleasing, sacred flow of countless fragrances. Furthermore, it was rich in fragrance like the King of Mountains and a second Gandhamadana. (13 - 14)

Section 3: Deducing the Identity of Sita (Shlokas 26–37)

sukhārhāṅ duḥkhasantaptāṅ vyasanānāmakōvidām | tāṅ samīkṣya viśālākṣīmadhikaṅ malināṅ kṛśām || 26 

tarkayāmāsa sītēti kāraṇairupapādibhiḥ | hriyamāṇā tadā tēna rakṣasā kāmarūpiṇā || 27

Seeing that wide-eyed lady—who was worthy of all comfort, yet utterly tormented by sorrow and wholly unacquainted with misfortune—and observing her to be exceedingly soiled and emaciated, Hanuman began to deduce, based on these compelling reasons, that this must be Sita, the one who was carried away at that time by that shapeshifting demon (Ravana). (26 - 27)

yathārūpā hi dṛṣṭā vai tathārūpēyamaṅganā | pūrṇacandrānanāṅ subhrūṅ cāruvṛttapayōdharām || 28 

kurvatīṅ prabhayādēvīṅ sarvā vitimirā diśaḥ | tāṅ nīlakēśīṅ bimbōṣṭhīṅ sumadhyāṅ supratiṣṭhitām || 29 

sītāṅ padmapalāśākṣīṅ manmathasya ratiṅ yathā | iṣṭāṅ sarvasya jagataḥ pūrṇacandraprabhāmiva || 30

This woman is the precise form as established by the sight of her from Rshyamukha mountain: a face radiant as the full moon, beautiful eyebrows, and charmingly curved breasts. She is a goddess whose splendor illuminates all directions and dispels the darkness. With her dark, black hair, lips like the Bimba fruit, a slender waist, and a perfectly proportioned body, whose lotus-petal eyes and radiating like Rati Devi, the wife of Manmatha, and shine with the effulgence of the full moon—this is Sita. (28 - 30)

bhūmau sutanumāsīnāṅ niyatāmiva tāpasīm | niḥśvāsabahulāṅ bhīruṅ bhujagēndravadhūmiva || 31

Seated on the bare ground, that beautiful lady appeared like an ascetic observing a strict vow. She was fearful and frequently sighing, resembling a distressed female serpent, wary and poised to deter any who might approach. (31)

śōkajālēna mahatā vitatēna na rājatīm | saṅsaktāṅ dhūmajālēna śikhāmiva vibhāvasōḥ || 32

Dimmed and veiled by a vast net of sorrow, she was not shining, but was instead obscured, like a flame of fire covered by a mass of smoke. (32)

tāṅ smṛtīmiva sandigdhāmṛddhiṅ nipatitāmiva | vihatāmiva ca śraddhāmāśāṅ pratihatāmiva || 33 

sōpasargāṅ yathā siddhiṅ buddhiṅ sakaluṣāmiva | abhūtēnāpavādēna kīrtiṅ nipatitāmiva || 34 rāmōparōdhavyathitāṅ rakṣōharaṇakarśitām | abalāṅ mṛgaśābākṣīṅ vīkṣamāṇāṅ tatastataḥ || 35

He saw the weak lady whose eyes were like a fawn, looking around here and there, tormented by the separation from Rama and emaciated by the Rakshasa's (Ravana's) abduction.She appeared like a doubt of Sacred Text (Smriti or Dharmashastra), like prosperity that has been destroyed, like faith that has been violated or lost, like hope that has been crushed or thwarted, like success accompanied by obstacles, like intelligence that has become tarnished, or like a reputation ruined by a false rumor.(33 - 35)

bāṣpāmbuparipūrṇēna kṛṣṇavakrākṣipakṣmaṇā | vadanēnāprasannēna niḥśvasantīṅ punaḥ punaḥ || 36 

malapaṅkadharāṅ dīnāṅ maṇḍanārhāmamaṇḍitām | prabhāṅ nakṣatrarājasya kālamēghairivāvṛtām || 37

She was miserable, covered in dirt and grime, and though worthy of all adornment, she was entirely unadorned. Her brilliance was like the luster of the King of Stars (the Moon) when it is completely enveloped by dark, black clouds. (36 - 37)

Section 5: Praise for Rama and Sita's Devotion (Shlokas 48–55)

iyaṅ kanakavarṇāṅgī rāmasya mahiṣī priyā | praṇaṣṭāpi satī yā.sya manasō na praṇaśyat || 48

This lady, with her body shining like gold, is the beloved Queen of Rama; though she is far away, she remains the one who is never absent from his heart (mind). (48)

iyaṅ sā yatkṛtē rāmaścaturbhiḥ paritapyatē | kāruṇyēnānṛśaṅsyēna śōkēna madanēna ca || 49 

strī praṇaṣṭēti kāruṇyādāśritētyānṛśaṅsyataḥ | patnī naṣṭēti śōkēna priyēti madanēna ca || 50

This is the lady for whose sake Rama is tormented by four distinct emotions: by compassion, realizing a woman has been lost as he could not protect; by kindness, knowing that one who took refuge in him has been lost; by profound grief, lamenting that his wife is lost; and by love, aching that his beloved is lost. (49 - 50)

asyā dēvyā yathā rūpamaṅgapratyaṅgasauṣṭhavam | rāmasya ca yathā rūpaṅ tasyēyamasitēkṣaṇā || 51

The exquisite beauty and flawless grace of this Goddess (Sita) are mirrored precisely by the form of Rama. Indeed, this dark-eyed lady is his exact counterpart. (51)

asyā dēvyā manastasmiṅstasya cāsyāṅ pratiṣṭhitam | tēnēyaṅ sa ca dharmātmā muhūrtamapi jīvat || 52

The mind of this Goddess (Sita) is completely fixed upon him (Rama), and his (Rama's) mind is completely fixed upon her. It is by this mutual devotion alone that both she and the righteous soul (Rama) are able to survive. If not then they would not be able to live for a moment. (52)

duṣkaraṅ kṛtavānrāmō hīnō yadanayā prabhuḥ | dhārayatyātmanō dēhaṅ na śōkēnāvasīdati || 53

It is an incredibly difficult, almost impossible task that the Lord Rama, separated from her, is performing by sustaining his own body and not giving in to grief. His ability to endure such profound sorrow is highly commendable. (53)

duṣkaraṅ kurutē rāmō ya imāṅ mattakāśinīm | sītāṅ vinā mahābāhurmuhūrtamapi jīvati || 54

The mighty-armed Rama performs a near-impossible feat by continuing to live even for a moment without this captivatingly beautiful Sita. (54)

ēvaṅ sītāṅ tadā dṛṣṭvā hṛṣṭaḥ pavanasambhavaḥ | jagāma manasā rāmaṅ praśaśaṅsa ca taṅ prabhum || 55

Having finally seen Sita, the Pavanasuta, Hanuman, was overwhelmed with delight. His thoughts turned instantly to Lord Rama, whom he began to praise, reflecting that Rama's intense longing for the virtuous Sita was entirely agreeable, for he alone is worthy to be her husband. (55)

ityārśe śrīmadramāyaṇe vālmīkīye ādikāvye suṃdarakaṃde paṁcadaśassargaḥ