Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 115 of 128 · 25 verses
Rama’s Harsh Words to Sita
Seeing Maithili standing humbly beside him, Rama begins to speak what is in his heart: you have been won back, good lady, now that I have conquered the enemy on the battlefield; what manliness required, I have done. I have reached the end of my indignation; the insult has been wiped away; the dishonour and the enemy have been killed together. Today my manhood has been seen, my labour has borne fruit, my vow is fulfilled and I am master of myself again. The wrong done by fate, when you were carried off in my absence by the fickle-minded rakshasa, I, a man, have overcome. What use is great manliness to a small-minded man who does not wipe out with his might an insult he has suffered? Hanuman’s leap across the ocean and his crushing of Lanka have borne fruit and are praiseworthy today; the labour of Sugriva and his army, who showed valour in battle and gave good counsel, has borne fruit; and so has that of Vibhishana, who left his worthless brother and came to me himself. Hearing Rama speak so, Sita’s eyes open wide like a doe’s and fill with tears. Looking at his heart’s beloved near him, the king’s heart is divided by fear of what people will say.
In the midst of the monkeys and rakshasas he says to Sita, lotus-eyed, with dark curling hair, lovely-hipped: what a man had to do to wipe away an insult, I have done by killing Ravana, longing for my honour. I have won you back as the sage Agastya, whose self was purified by austerity, won the unassailable southern direction for the world of the living. Know this, and may it be well with you: this labour of battle, carried through by the valour of my friends, was not undertaken for your sake. I did it to protect my good conduct, to wipe away reproach on every side, and to remove the stain on my famous lineage. Now that your conduct has come under suspicion, standing before me you are as deeply disagreeable to me as a lamp to a man with diseased eyes. So go, daughter of Janaka; I give you leave today to go where you please; here are the ten directions, good lady; I have nothing to do with you. What man of good family and spirit would take back, from the eagerness of affection, a woman who has lived in another’s house? Claiming a great lineage, how could I take you back, who have been crushed in Ravana’s lap and looked upon by his evil eye? That for which I won you back I have achieved; I have no attachment to you; go where you wish. I have said this today, good lady, with my mind made up: set your mind as you please on Lakshmana or on Bharata, on Shatrughna or Sugriva or the rakshasa Vibhishana, Sita, or wherever you yourself find happiness. For Ravana, seeing you so heavenly in form and lovely, staying in his own house, would not have restrained himself long, Sita. Hearing these unwelcome words from her beloved, after so long, she who deserved only loving words, proud, weeps bitterly, shedding tears, like a creeper struck by the trunk of a lordly elephant.
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तां तु पार्श्वे स्थितां प्रह्वां रामः सम्प्रेक्ष्य मैथिलीम् । हृदयान्तर्गतं भावं व्याहर्तुमुपचक्रमे ॥ १ ॥
Looking at that Maithili standing humbly at his side, Rama began to speak the feeling within his heart:
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Rama’s Harsh Words to Sita 1 min read.
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एषासि निर्जिता भद्रे शत्रुं जित्वा रणाजिरे । पौरुषाद् यदनुष्ठेयं मयैतदुपपादितम् ॥ २ ॥
“You have been won back, good lady, now that I have conquered the enemy on the battlefield; what was to be done by manliness has been accomplished by me.
गतोऽस्म्यन्तममर्षस्य धर्षणा सम्प्रमार्जिता । अवमानश्च शत्रुश्च युगपन्निहतौ मया ॥ ३ ॥
“I have reached the end of my indignation; the insult has been wiped away; the dishonour and the enemy have been killed by me together.
अद्य मे पौरुषं दृष्टमद्य मे सफलः श्रमः । अद्य तीर्णप्रतिज्ञोऽहं प्रभवाम्यद्य चात्मनः ॥ ४ ॥
“Today my manliness has been seen; today my labour has borne fruit; today I have fulfilled my vow; today I am master of myself.
या त्वं विरहिता नीता चलचित्तेन रक्षसा । दैवसम्पादितो दोषो मानुषेण मया जितः ॥ ५ ॥
“You who were carried off, in my absence, by the fickle-minded rakshasa: the fault brought about by fate has been overcome by me, a man.
सम्प्राप्तमवमानं यस्तेजसा न प्रमार्जति । कस्तस्य पौरुषेणार्थो महताप्यल्पचेतसः ॥ ६ ॥
“Of what use is manliness, however great, to the small-minded man who does not wipe away with his might the insult he has suffered?
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य लङ्कायाश्चापि मर्दनम् । सफलं तस्य च श्लाघ्यमद्य कर्म हनूमतः ॥ ७ ॥
“The leaping of the ocean and the crushing of Lanka, that deed of Hanuman’s, has today borne fruit and is praiseworthy.
युद्धे विक्रमतश्चैव हितं मन्त्रयतस्तथा । सुग्रीवस्य ससैन्यस्य सफलोऽद्य परिश्रमः ॥ ८ ॥
“And the labour of Sugriva with his army, showing valour in battle and giving beneficial counsel, has today borne fruit.
विभीषणस्य च तथा सफलोऽद्य परिश्रमः । विगुणं भ्रातरं त्यक्त्वा यो मां स्वयमुपस्थितः ॥ ९ ॥
“And likewise the labour of Vibhishana has today borne fruit, who, abandoning his worthless brother, came to me himself.”
इत्येवं वदतः श्रुत्वा सीता रामस्य तद् वचः । मृगीवोत्फुल्लनयना बभूवाश्रुपरिप्लुता ॥ १० ॥
Hearing those words of Rama speaking so, Sita, her eyes wide open like a doe’s, became flooded with tears.
पश्यतस्तां तु रामस्य समीपे हृदयप्रियाम् । जनवादभयाद् राज्ञो बभूव हृदयं द्विधा ॥ ११ ॥
As Rama looked at her, the beloved of his heart, near him, from fear of what people would say the king’s heart was divided in two.
सीतामुत्पलपत्राक्षीं नीलकुञ्चितमूर्धजाम् । अवदद् वै वरारोहां मध्ये वानररक्षसाम् ॥ १२ ॥
To Sita, with eyes like lotus petals, with dark curling hair, of lovely hips, he spoke in the midst of the monkeys and rakshasas:
यत् कर्तव्यं मनुष्येण धर्षणां प्रतिमार्जता । तत् कृतं रावणं हत्वा मयेदं मानकांक्षिणा ॥ १३ ॥
“What a man had to do in wiping away an insult, that I have done by killing Ravana, longing for honour.
निर्जिता जीवलोकस्य तपसा भावितात्मना । अगस्त्येन दुराधर्षा मुनिना दक्षिणेव दिक् ॥ १४ ॥
“You have been won back by me, as the unassailable southern direction was won for the world of the living by the sage Agastya, whose self was purified by austerity.
विदितश्चास्तु भद्रं ते योऽयं रणपरिश्रमः । सुतीर्णः सुहृदां वीर्यान्न त्वदर्थं मया कृतः ॥ १५ ॥
“Let it be known, and may it be well with you: this labour of battle, carried through by the valour of my friends, was not done by me for your sake.
रक्षता तु मया वृत्तमपवादं च सर्वतः । प्रख्यातस्यात्मवंशस्य न्यङ्गं च परिमार्जता ॥ १६ ॥
“It was done by me guarding my conduct, wiping away reproach on every side, and removing the stain upon my own famous lineage.
प्राप्तचारित्रसंदेहा मम प्रतिमुखे स्थिता । दीपो नेत्रातुरस्येव प्रतिकूलासि मे दृढा ॥ १७ ॥
“With suspicion having come upon your conduct, standing before me, you are as firmly disagreeable to me as a lamp to one with diseased eyes.
तद् गच्छ त्वानुजानेऽद्य यथेष्टं जनकात्मजे । एता दश दिशो भद्रे कार्यमस्ति न मे त्वया ॥ १८ ॥
“So go; I give you leave today, daughter of Janaka, as you wish; these are the ten directions, good lady; I have nothing to do with you.
कः पुमांस्तु कुले जातः स्त्रियं परगृहोषिताम् । तेजस्वी पुनरादद्यात् सुहृल्लोभेन चेतसा ॥ १९ ॥
“For what man of spirit, born in a good family, would take back a woman who has lived in another’s house, with a mind eager from affection?
रावणाङ्कपरिक्लिष्टां दृष्टां दुष्टेन चक्षुषा । कथं त्वां पुनरादद्यां कुलं व्यपदिशन्महत् ॥ २० ॥
“Crushed in Ravana’s lap, looked upon by his evil eye, how could I take you back, claiming a great lineage?
यदर्थं निर्जिता मे त्वं सोऽयमासादितो मया । नास्ति मे त्वय्यभिष्वङ्गो यथेष्टं गम्यतामिति ॥ २१ ॥
“That for which you were won back by me, that I have achieved; I have no attachment to you; go where you wish.
तदद्य व्याहृतं भद्रे मयैतत् कृतबुद्धिना । लक्ष्मणे वाथ भरते कुरु बुद्धिं यथासुखम् ॥ २२ ॥
“So I have said this today, good lady, with my mind made up: set your mind on Lakshmana or on Bharata, as you please;
शत्रुघ्ने वाथ सुग्रीवे राक्षसे वा विभीषणे । निवेशय मनः सीते यथा वा सुखमात्मना ॥ २३ ॥
“on Shatrughna, or on Sugriva, or on the rakshasa Vibhishana, set your mind, Sita, or wherever you yourself find happiness.
नहि त्वां रावणो दृष्ट्वा दिव्यरूपां मनोरमाम् । मर्षयेत चिरं सीते स्वगृहे पर्यवस्थिताम् ॥ २४ ॥
“For Ravana, seeing you, heavenly in form and lovely, staying in his own house, would not have restrained himself long, Sita.”
ततः प्रियार्हश्रवणा तदप्रियं प्रियादुपश्रुत्य चिरस्य मानिनी । मुमोच बाष्पं रुदती तदा भृशं गजेन्द्रहस्ताभिहतेव वल्लरी ॥ २५ ॥
Then, hearing that unwelcome speech from her beloved after so long, she who deserved to hear loving words, the proud one, weeping bitterly then, let fall her tears, like a creeper struck by the trunk of a lordly elephant.