Sundarakanda Sarga 19: Sita's Condition in Distress (Full Text & Meaning)
Sundarakanda Sarga 19: Sita's Condition in Distress (Full Text & Meaning)
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Read Sundarakanda Sarga 19 with full Sanskrit Shlokas and verbatim English meanings. As Rāvaṇa approaches, Sītā Devi trembles like a plantain tree in a storm. This sarga provides a heart-wrenching description of her physical and mental state—immersed in a sea of grief, yet mentally clinging to the feet of Śrī Rāma. Witness her silent strength as she refuses to even look upon the Rākṣasa lord. Download PDF for convenience or read along online at Kalady.org
| Detail | Total Shlokas: 23 | Primary Character: Sita Devi & Ravana | Key Events: Sītā-Kampanam (Sita's Trembling), Upamā-Vaicitryam (Vivid Metaphors of Distress), Rāvaṇa-Pralōbhanam (Ravana's Temptation) | Location: Ashoka Vatika, Lanka |
athaḥ śrīmadvalmīki rāmāyaṇe suṃdarakāṃḍe ēkōnaviṁśassargaḥ
Beginning of Sundarakanda from Srimad Valmiki Ramanaya - 19th Sarga
kṛcchrugatasītōpamāḥ
Sita's Condition in Distress
tasminnēva tataḥ kālē rājaputrī tvaninditā | rūpayauvanasampannaṅ bhūṣaṇōttamabhūṣitam || 1
tatō dṛṣṭvaiva vaidēhī rāvaṇaṅ rākṣasādhipam | prāvēpata varārōhā pravātē kadalī yathā || 2
At that very moment, the daughter of King Janaka, Sita, saw the King of the Rakshasas, who appeared radiant with youth, beauty, and magnificent ornaments. Instantly, the beautiful Sita began to tremble, just as a delicate plantain tree shakes violently in a strong wind. (1 - 2)
ācchādyōdaramūrubhyāṅ bāhubhyāṅ ca payōdharau | upaviṣṭā viśālākṣī rudantī varavarṇinī || 3
The beautiful, wide-eyed Sita sat weeping, modestly covering her midriff with her thighs and her bosom with her arms. (3)
daśagrīvastu vaidēhīṅ rakṣitāṅ rākṣasīgaṇaiḥ | dadarśa sītāṅ duḥkhārtāṅ nāvaṅ sannāmivārṇavē || 4
The ten-headed Ravana beheld Sita, who was in profound distress and kept under the strict guard of the Rakshasis. Her condition was pitiful, much like a solitary ship struggling against the waves of the ocean (4)
asaṅvṛtāyāmāsīnāṅ dharaṇyāṅ saṅśitavratām | chinnāṅ prapatitāṅ bhūmau śākhāmiva vanaspatēḥ || 5
Seated on the bare ground, firm in her sacred vow, she resembled a severed branch of a tree that had fallen to the earth.. (5)
malamaṇḍanacitrāṅgīṅ maṇḍanārhāmamaṇḍitām | mṛṇālī paṅkadigdhēva vibhāti na vibhāti ca || 6
Her form, though marked by dirt and sorrow, possessed a unique charm, as she was a woman deserving of adornment who remained unornamented. Like a lotus stem veiled in mud, her beauty was simultaneously visible and hidden. (6)
samīpaṅ rājasiṅhasya rāmasya viditātmanaḥ | saṅkalpahayasaṅyuksairyāntīmiva manōrathaiḥ || 7
She was like a powerful wish, driven by the sheer force of her will, that was perpetually traveling towards the side of Rama, the righteous Lion among Kings. (7)
śuṣyantīṅ rudatīmēkāṅ dhyānaśōkaparāyaṇām | duḥkhasyāntamapaśyantīṅ rāmāṅ rāmamanuvratām || 8
She sat there, utterly alone and weeping, visibly lean. With her mind wholly immersed in meditation upon Rama and overwhelming grief, Sita, who was completely devoted to her husband, could see no end to her suffering. (8)
vēṣṭamānāṅ tathā.viṣṭāṅ pannagēndravadhūmiva | dhūpyamānāṅ grahēṇēva rōhiṇīṅ dhūmakētunā || 9
She sat there, distressed and curled up, resembling a serpent queen in her torment. She was like the star Rohini, whose brilliance is eclipsed and troubled by the presence of a menacing planet (9)
vṛttaśīlakulē jātāmācāravati dhārmikē | punaḥsaṅskāramāpannāṅ jātāmiva ca duṣkulē || 10
Born into a noble family of impeccable conduct and married into the great Ikshvaku dynasty, she now—clad in dirty clothes and racked by suffering—resembled a woman wedded (took rebirth) into a base or degraded lineage. (10)
abhūtēnāpavādēna kīrtiṅ nipatitāmiva | āmnāyānāmayōgēna vidyāṅ praśithilāmiva || 11
Her state was like a great reputation destroyed by a false accusation, or like profound, sacred knowledge that has faded and been weakened due to neglect and lack of practice. (11)
sannāmiva mahākīrtiṅ śraddhāmiva vimānitām | pūjāmiva parikṣīṇāmāśāṅ pratihatāmiva || 12
Her state was comparable to a magnificent glory that has fallen; to profound trust that has been dishonored; to the pooja without pooja samagri and to all hope that has been destroyed. (12)
āyatīmiva vidhvastāmājñāṅ pratihatāmiva | dīptāmiva diśaṅ kālē pūjāmapahṛtāmiva || 13
Her state was like prosperity that has gradually diminished; a royal decree forcefully obstructed; a direction's bright, shining light suddenly eclipsed by darkness; and pooja that was ruined by the theft of its sacred materials. (13)
padminīmiva vidhvastāṅ hataśūrāṅ camūmiva | prabhāmiva tamōdhvastām upakṣīṇāmivāpagām || 14
She was like a lotus-filled pond that had been utterly devastated, or an army left broken after its valiant heroes were slain. She resembled a brilliant light suddenly eclipsed by darkness, or a great river that had nearly dried up (14)
vēdīmiva parāmṛṣṭāṅ śāntāmagniśikhāmiva | paurṇamāsīmiva niśāṅ rāhugrastēndumaṇḍalām || 15
Her state was like a sacred ceremonial altar (vatika) defiled by impure (apavithra) objects, or a brilliant flame that has been violently put out. She was also like the night of the full moon whose radiance has been tragically consumed by an eclipse. (15)
utkṛṣṭaparṇakamalāṅ vitrāsitavihaṅgamām | hastihastaparāmṛṣṭām ākulāṅ padminīmiva || 16
Sita Devi was utterly distressed, like a beautiful lotus pond that had been violently ravaged by an elephant's intrusive trunk: its leaves and blossoms were torn out, its birds were frightened away, and its waters were left utterly disturbed and fouled. (16)
patiśōkāturāṅ śuṣkāṅ nadīṅ visrāvitāmiva | parayā mṛjayā hīnāṅ kṛṣṇapakṣaniśāmiva || 17
She was consumed by the profound sorrow of separation from her husband, resembling a river that has dried up. She had lost all her natural, supreme splendor, like the utterly dark night of the new moon (17)
sukumārīṅ sujātāṅgīṅ ratnagarbhagṛhōcitām | tapyamānāmivōṣṇēna mṛṇālīmacirōddhṛtām || 18
Delicate in every feature and accustomed to the comfort of a jewel-filled palace, she was now enduring suffering. Sita was like a beautiful lotus stalk, recently pulled from the cool water, now withering under the intense heat. (18)
gṛhītāmālitāṅ stambhē yūthapēna vinākṛtām | niḥśvasantīṅ suduḥkhārtāṅ gajarājavadhūmiva || 19
Sita maata who was delicate in every feature and accustomed to the comfort of a jewel-filled palace, she was now enduring suffering. She was like a beautiful lotus stalk, recently pulled from the cool water, now withering under the intense heat. (19)
ēkayā dīrghayā vēṇyā śōbhamānāmayatnataḥ | nīlayā nīradāpāyē vanarājyā mahīmiva || 20
With a single, long, dark braid of hair resting upon her, Sita Devi was graced with a sight like the dark, flourishing forest cover resting upon the earth at the end of the rainy season. (20)
upavāsēna śōkēna dhyānēna ca bhayēna ca | parikṣīṇāṅ kṛśāṅ dīnāmalpāhārāṅ tapōdhanām || 21
Lean, miserable, and subsisting on meager food, her sole strength was her austerity. Her condition was the result of severe fasting, consuming sorrow, debilitating fear, and intense meditation (21)
āyācamānāṅ duḥkhārtāṅ prāñjaliṅ dēvatāmiva | bhāvēna raghumukhyasya daśagrīvaparābhavam || 22
Overwhelmed by her profound grief, she was praying to her family deity (kula devatha) with folded hands, with the deep-seated conviction that Sri Rama must utterly defeat the ten-headed Ravana. (22)
samīkṣamāṇāṅ rudatīmaninditāṅ supakṣmatāmrāyataśuklalōcanām | anuvratāṅ rāmamatīva maithilīṅ pralōbhayāmāsa vadhāya rāvaṇaḥ || 23
Ravana looked upon Sita, who was weeping and whose beautiful, long eyes were reddened by tears, yet she remained utterly devoted to Rama. Seeing this, he attempted to win her over, a pursuit that would ultimately seal his own destruction.(23)
ityārśe śrīmadramāyaṇe vālmīkīye ādikāvye suṃdarakaṃde ēkōnaviṁśassargaḥ
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