Sundara Kanda · Sarga 21 of 68 · 34 verses
A Blade of Grass: Sita’s Answer
Trembling and weeping, thinking only of her husband, Sita places a blade of grass between herself and Ravana and answers him. Let him turn his mind back to his own wives; he has no right to ask for her, a wife devoted to one husband, born and married into virtuous families. She turns her back on him and goes on: guard other men’s wives as you guard your own; a man never content with his own wives is brought to ruin. Under a king who will not listen to wise counsel, rich kingdoms perish; Lanka, full of treasure, will soon perish for his one crime, and the world will rejoice.
She cannot be tempted by wealth: she is Rama’s as light is the sun’s. Having rested her head on his arm, how could she rest it on another’s? If Ravana wants to live, let him make friends with Rama, who is kind to all who seek refuge, and return her to him. Otherwise he will hear Rama’s bow thunder like Indra’s bolt; arrows like flaming serpents will fall on Lanka; Rama, like Garuda, will tear out the great serpents that are the rakshasas, and take her back as Vishnu took back the worlds in three strides. Ravana could not have faced the two brothers; he stole her only when they were away, as a dog cannot stand where tigers have left their scent. Whether he flees to Kubera’s mountain or Varuna’s court, he will not escape.
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तस्य तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा सीता रौद्रस्य रक्षसः । आर्ता दीनस्वरा दीनं प्रत्युवाच ततः शनैः ॥ १ ॥
Hearing those words of the fierce rakshasa, Sita, distressed, answered slowly in a sad and weak voice.
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A Blade of Grass: Sita’s Answer 1 min read.
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दुःखार्ता रुदती सीता वेपमाना तपस्विनी । चिन्तयन्ती वरारोहा पतिमेव पतिव्रता ॥ २ ॥
Stricken with sorrow, weeping, trembling, the ascetic, fair-hipped Sita, faithful wife, thinking only of her husband,
तृणमन्तरतः कृत्वा प्रत्युवाच शुचिस्मिता । निवर्तय मनो मत्तः स्वजने प्रीयतां मनः ॥ ३ ॥
placing a blade of grass between them, the pure-smiling one replied: “Turn your mind away from me; let your mind take pleasure in your own people.
न मां प्रार्थयितुं युक्तस्त्वं सिद्धिमिव पापकृत् । अकार्यं न मया कार्यमेकपत्न्या विगर्हितम् ॥ ४ ॥
“You have no right to ask for me, as a sinner has none to ask for perfection. I must not do what should not be done, what a wife of one husband condemns,
कुलं सम्प्राप्तया पुण्यं कुले महति जातया । एवमुक्त्वा तु वैदेही रावणं तं यशस्विनी ॥ ५ ॥
“I who have come into a holy family, born in a great family.” Having said this to Ravana, glorious Vaidehi
रावणं पृष्ठतः कृत्वा भूयो वचनमब्रवीत् । नाहमौपयिकी भार्या परभार्या सती तव ॥ ६ ॥
turned her back on Ravana and spoke again: “I am not a fit wife for you, being another’s wife, and virtuous.
साधु धर्ममवेक्षस्व साधु साधुव्रतं चर । यथा तव तथान्येषां रक्ष्या दारा निशाचर ॥ ७ ॥
“Look well to dharma; keep well the vow of the good. As your wives must be guarded, night-wanderer, so must those of others.
आत्मानमुपमां कृत्वा स्वेषु दारेषु रम्यताम् । अतुष्टं स्वेषु दारेषु चपलं चपलेन्द्रियम् । नयन्ति निकृतिप्रज्ञं परदाराः पराभवम् ॥ ८ ॥
“Making yourself the measure, take pleasure in your own wives. The fickle man of restless senses, not content with his own wives, crooked-minded, is brought to ruin by other men’s wives.
इह सन्तो न वा सन्ति सतो वा नानुवर्तसे । यथा हि विपरीता ते बुद्धिराचारवर्जिता ॥ ९ ॥
“Either there are no good men here, or you do not follow the good; for your mind is perverse and without right conduct.
वचो मिथ्याप्रणीतात्मा पथ्यमुक्तं विचक्षणैः । राक्षसानामभावाय त्वं वा न प्रतिपद्यसे ॥ १० ॥
“Or, your mind set on falsehood, you do not accept the wholesome words spoken by the wise, to the destruction of the rakshasas.
अकृतात्मानमासाद्य राजानमनये रतम् । समृद्धानि विनश्यन्ति राष्ट्राणि नगराणि च ॥ ११ ॥
“Coming under a king who has not mastered himself and delights in wrong policy, prosperous kingdoms and cities perish.
तथैव त्वां समासाद्य लंका रत्नौघसंकुला । अपराधात् तवैकस्य नचिराद् विनशिष्यति ॥ १२ ॥
“So Lanka, crowded with heaps of jewels, having come under you, will soon perish through your offence alone.
स्वकृतैर्हन्यमानस्य रावणादीर्घदर्शिनः । अभिनन्दन्ति भूतानि विनाशे पापकर्मणः ॥ १३ ॥
“When a short-sighted evildoer is destroyed by his own deeds, Ravana, all beings rejoice at his ruin.
एवं त्वां पापकर्माणं वक्ष्यन्ति निकृता जनाः । दिष्ट्यैतद् व्यसनं प्राप्तो रौद्र इत्येव हर्षिताः ॥ १४ ॥
“So the people you have wronged will say of you, the evildoer, delighted: ‘By good fortune this cruel one has met disaster!’
शक्या लोभयितुं नाहमैश्वर्येण धनेन वा । अनन्या राघवेणाहं भास्करेण यथा प्रभा ॥ १५ ॥
“I cannot be tempted by lordship or wealth. I am not other than Raghava, as light is not other than the sun.
उपधाय भुजं तस्य लोकनाथस्य सत्कृतम् । कथं नामोपधास्यामि भुजमन्यस्य कस्यचित् ॥ १६ ॥
“Having rested my head on the honoured arm of that lord of the world, how could I rest it on the arm of anyone else?
अहमौपयिकी भार्या तस्यैव च धरापतेः । व्रतस्नातस्य विद्येव विप्रस्य विदितात्मनः ॥ १७ ॥
“I am the fit wife of that lord of the earth alone, as sacred knowledge belongs to a brahmana who has bathed at the end of his vow and knows himself.
साधु रावण रामेण मां समानय दुःखिताम् । वने वासितया सार्धं करेण्वेव गजाधिपम् ॥ १८ ॥
“Better, Ravana, bring me back to Rama in my sorrow, as a she-elephant to the lord of the herd who was left behind with her in the forest.
मित्रमौपयिकं कर्तुं रामः स्थानं परीप्सता । बन्धं चानिच्छता घोरं त्वयासौ पुरुषर्षभः ॥ १९ ॥
“Rama is the friend to make, for one who wants to keep his place and does not want a terrible death. That bull among men
विदितः सर्वधर्मज्ञः शरणागतवत्सलः । तेन मैत्री भवतु ते यदि जीवितुमिच्छसि ॥ २० ॥
“is known to know all dharma and to be kind to those who come for refuge. Let there be friendship between you and him, if you want to live.
प्रसादयस्व त्वं चैनं शरणागतवत्सलम् । मां चास्मै प्रयतो भूत्वा निर्यातयितुमर्हसि ॥ २१ ॥
“Win the favour of that friend of refugees, and with a pure mind give me back to him.
एवं हि ते भवेत् स्वस्ति सम्प्रदाय रघूत्तमे । अन्यथा त्वं हि कुर्वाणः परां प्राप्स्यसि चापदम् ॥ २२ ॥
“So it will go well with you, if you give me to the best of the Raghus. If you do otherwise, you will meet the greatest disaster.
वर्जयेद् वज्रमुत्सृष्टं वर्जयेदन्तकश्चिरम् । त्वद्विधं न तु संक्रुद्धो लोकनाथः स राघवः ॥ २३ ॥
“The thunderbolt once loosed may spare one; Death may spare one for a long time; but the angry Raghava, lord of the world, will not spare one such as you.
रामस्य धनुषः शब्दं श्रोष्यसि त्वं महास्वनम् । शतक्रतुविसृष्टस्य निर्घोषमशनेरिव ॥ २४ ॥
“You will hear the great noise of Rama’s bow, like the roar of the thunderbolt released by Shatakratu.
इह शीघ्रं सुपर्वाणो ज्वलितास्या इवोरगाः । इषवो निपतिष्यन्ति रामलक्ष्मणलक्षिताः ॥ २५ ॥
“Soon arrows with fine joints, marked with the names of Rama and Lakshmana, like snakes with blazing mouths, will fall here,
रक्षांसि निहनिष्यन्तः पुर्यामस्यां न संशयः । असम्पातं करिष्यन्ति पतन्तः कङ्कवाससः ॥ २६ ॥
“killing rakshasas in this city, no doubt of it; falling, feathered with heron plumes, they will leave no space between them.
राक्षसेन्द्रमहासर्पान् स रामगरुडो महान् । उद्धरिष्यति वेगेन वैनतेय इवोरगान् ॥ २७ ॥
“Rama, the great Garuda, will swiftly tear out the great serpents, the rakshasa lords, as Vinata’s son tears out snakes.
अपनेष्यति मां भर्ता त्वत्तः शीघ्रमरिंदमः । असुरेभ्यः श्रियं दीप्तां विष्णुस्त्रिभिरिव क्रमैः ॥ २८ ॥
“My husband, tamer of enemies, will soon take me away from you, as Vishnu with three strides took the blazing splendour away from the asuras.
जनस्थाने हतस्थाने निहते रक्षसां बले । अशक्तेन त्वया रक्षः कृतमेतदसाधु वै ॥ २९ ॥
“When Janasthana, your stronghold, was destroyed and the rakshasa army slain, you, unable to fight, rakshasa, did this wicked thing.
आश्रमं तत्तयोः शून्यं प्रविश्य नरसिंहयोः । गोचरं गतयोर्भ्रात्रोरपनीता त्वयाधम ॥ ३० ॥
“Entering the hermitage of those two lions among men while it was empty, while the brothers had gone out, you carried me off, vilest of beings.
नहि गन्धमुपाघ्राय रामलक्ष्मणयोस्त्वया । शक्यं संदर्शने स्थातुं शुना शार्दूलयोरिव ॥ ३१ ॥
“Having smelt the scent of Rama and Lakshmana, you could not stay in their sight, as a dog cannot face two tigers.
तस्य ते विग्रहे ताभ्यां युगग्रहणमस्थिरम् । वृत्रस्येवेन्द्रबाहुभ्यां बाहोरेकस्य विग्रहे ॥ ३२ ॥
“In a fight with those two your hold on even one arm would not last, as Vritra’s could not against Indra’s two arms.
क्षिप्रं तव स नाथो मे रामः सौमित्रिणा सह । तोयमल्पमिवादित्यः प्राणानादास्यते शरैः ॥ ३३ ॥
“Soon my lord Rama, with Saumitri, will take your life with his arrows, as the sun takes a little water.
गिरिं कुबेरस्य गतोऽथवाऽऽलयं सभां गतो वा वरुणस्य राज्ञः । असंशयं दाशरथेर्विमोक्ष्यसे महाद्रुमः कालहतोऽशनेरिव ॥ ३४ ॥
“Whether you go to Kubera’s mountain or to his dwelling, or to the court of King Varuna, without doubt you will not escape Dasharatha’s son, as a great tree doomed by time does not escape the thunderbolt.”