Sundara Kanda · Sarga 19 of 68 · 22 verses
Sita Trembles at Ravana’s Approach
Seeing Ravana coming in all his finery, Sita trembles like a plantain in the wind. She draws her thighs up over her belly and folds her arms over her breasts and sits weeping on the bare ground.
Ravana looks at her: guarded by rakshasis, wretched, like a sinking boat in the ocean, like a branch cut from a tree and fallen to earth, smeared with dirt, deserving ornaments and wearing none. In her mind she is riding to Rama on chariots of longing. She is like a serpent queen under a spell, like Rohini afflicted by a comet, like great fame sunk low, faith dishonoured, hope blocked, a full-moon night with the moon eclipsed, a lotus pool trampled by an elephant, a captive she-elephant tied to a post away from her herd. Thin from fasting, grief, brooding and fear, she prays like a goddess with joined palms for Ravana’s defeat through Rama’s power. And Ravana begins to tempt her, to his own destruction.
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तस्मिन्नेव ततः काले राजपुत्री त्वनिन्दिता । रूपयौवनसम्पन्नं भूषणोत्तमभूषितम् ॥ १ ॥
At that very moment the blameless princess saw him, rich in beauty and youth, adorned with the finest ornaments;
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Sita Trembles at Ravana’s Approach 1 min read.
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ततो दृष्ट्वैव वैदेही रावणं राक्षसाधिपम् । प्रावेपत वरारोहा प्रवाते कदली यथा ॥ २ ॥
and seeing Ravana, lord of the rakshasas, the fair-hipped Vaidehi trembled like a plantain in a strong wind.
ऊरुभ्यामुदरं छाद्य बाहुभ्यां च पयोधरौ । उपविष्टा विशालाक्षी रुदती वरवर्णिनी ॥ ३ ॥
Covering her belly with her thighs and her breasts with her arms, the large-eyed, lovely-complexioned lady sat weeping.
दशग्रीवस्तु वैदेहीं रक्षितां राक्षसीगणैः । ददर्श दीनां दुःखार्तां नावं सन्नामिवार्णवे ॥ ४ ॥
Ten-necked saw Vaidehi, guarded by troops of rakshasis, wretched, stricken with sorrow, like a boat sinking in the ocean;
असंवृतायामासीनां धरण्यां संशितव्रताम् । छिन्नां प्रपतितां भूमौ शाखामिव वनस्पतेः ॥ ५ ॥
sitting on the bare ground, firm in her vows, like a branch cut from a tree and fallen on the earth;
मलमण्डनदिग्धांगीं मण्डनार्हाममण्डनाम् । मृणाली पङ्कदिग्धेव विभाति न विभाति च ॥ ६ ॥
her body smeared with dirt for ornament, deserving ornaments yet unadorned: like a lotus stalk smeared with mud, she shone and did not shine;
समीपं राजसिंहस्य रामस्य विदितात्मनः । संकल्पहयसंयुक्तैर्यान्तीमिव मनोरथैः ॥ ७ ॥
as if going near Rama, lion among kings, who knows himself, on chariots of longing yoked with the horses of resolve;
शुष्यन्तीं रुदतीमेकां ध्यानशोकपरायणाम् । दुःखस्यान्तमपश्यन्तीं रामां राममनुव्रताम् ॥ ८ ॥
wasting, weeping, alone, given over to brooding and grief, seeing no end to her sorrow, the lovely woman devoted to Rama;
चेष्टमानामथाविष्टां पन्नगेन्द्रवधूमिव । धूप्यमानां ग्रहेणेव रोहिणीं धूमकेतुना ॥ ९ ॥
writhing, as if possessed, like the wife of a serpent king; like Rohini scorched by the planet Dhumaketu;
वृत्तशीले कुले जातामाचारवति धार्मिके । पुनः संस्कारमापन्नां जातामिव च दुष्कुले ॥ १० ॥
born in a family of good conduct and character, observant and righteous, yet like one born into a bad family and in need of purification again;
सन्नामिव महाकीर्तिं श्रद्धामिव विमानिताम् । प्रज्ञामिव परिक्षीणामाशां प्रतिहतामिव ॥ ११ ॥
like great fame sunk low, like faith dishonoured, like wisdom wasted away, like hope blocked;
आयतीमिव विध्वस्तामाज्ञां प्रतिहतामिव । दीप्तामिव दिशं काले पूजामपहतामिव ॥ १२ ॥
like a future destroyed, like an order disobeyed, like a quarter of the sky ablaze at the time of doom, like worship stolen away;
पौर्णमासीमिव निशां तमोग्रस्तेन्दुमण्डलाम् । पद्मिनीमिव विध्वस्तां हतशूरां चमूमिव ॥ १३ ॥
like a full-moon night with the moon’s disc swallowed by darkness, like a lotus pool laid waste, like an army whose heroes are slain;
प्रभामिव तमोध्वस्तामुपक्षीणामिवापगाम् । वेदीमिव परामृष्टां शान्तामग्निशिखामिव ॥ १४ ॥
like light destroyed by darkness, like a river dried up, like an altar defiled, like a tongue of fire gone out;
उत्कृष्टपर्णकमलां वित्रासितविहंगमाम् । हस्तिहस्तपरामृष्टामाकुलामिव पद्मिनीम् ॥ १५ ॥
like a lotus pool in turmoil, its lotus leaves torn up, its birds frightened away, roughly handled by an elephant’s trunk;
पतिशोकातुरां शुष्कां नदीं विस्रावितामिव । परया मृजया हीनां कृष्णपक्षे निशामिव ॥ १६ ॥
tormented by grief for her husband, dried up like a river drained away, without her fine grooming, like a night in the dark fortnight;
सुकुमारीं सुजातांगीं रत्नगर्भगृहोचिताम् । तप्यमानामिवोष्णेन मृणालीमचिरोद्धृताम् ॥ १७ ॥
delicate, well-formed, fit for a jewelled inner chamber, like a lotus stalk just pulled up and scorched by the heat;
गृहीतामालितां स्तम्भे यूथपेन विनाकृताम् । निःश्वसन्तीं सुदुःखार्तां गजराजवधूमिव ॥ १८ ॥
like a she-elephant, queen of her herd, caught and tied to a post, deprived of her leader, sighing, deeply distressed;
एकया दीर्घया वेण्या शोभमानामयत्नतः । नीलया नीरदापाये वनराज्या महीमिव ॥ १९ ॥
shining without effort with her single long braid, like the earth with a dark line of forest when the clouds have gone;
उपवासेन शोकेन ध्यानेन च भयेन च । परिक्षीणां कृशां दीनामल्पाहारां तपोधनाम् ॥ २० ॥
worn away by fasting, grief, brooding and fear, thin, wretched, eating little, rich in austerity;
आयाचमानां दुःखार्तां प्राञ्जलिं देवतामिव । भावेन रघुमुख्यस्य दशग्रीवपराभवम् ॥ २१ ॥
stricken with sorrow, praying with joined palms as to a deity, in her heart, for Ten-necked’s defeat at the hands of the chief of the Raghus;
समीक्षमाणां रुदतीमनिन्दितां सुपक्ष्मताम्रायतशुक्ललोचनाम् । अनुव्रतां राममतीव मैथिलीं प्रलोभयामास वधाय रावणः ॥ २२ ॥
looking about, weeping, the blameless Maithili with lovely lashes and long, coppery-white eyes, utterly devoted to Rama: her Ravana began to tempt, to his own destruction.