Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 116 of 128 · 36 verses
Sita Enters the Fire
Hearing these harsh, hair-raising words spoken by angry Raghava, the Vaidehi is deeply pained. Hearing her husband’s terrible words, never heard before, in the midst of a great crowd, Maithili bows down in shame; as if shrinking into her own limbs, as if pierced by the darts of his words, she weeps bitterly. Wiping her tear-wet face, she says slowly to her husband in a choking voice: why do you make me hear such unfitting, harsh words, cruel to the ear, hero, like a common man speaking to a common woman? I am not what you take me to be, mighty-armed one; trust me; I swear to you by my own conduct. Because of the behaviour of some women, you suspect all women; give up this suspicion, if you have ever known me. If my body was touched when I was helpless, lord, it was not by my will; fate is to blame for that. My heart, which is in my control, has always been with you; what could I do, without power, with my body in another’s power? If, giver of honour, you have not known me through our love that grew together and our living together, then I am lost forever. When you sent the great hero Hanuman to look for me, king, while I was in Lanka, why did you not abandon me then? On hearing that message, I would have given up my life before this monkey’s eyes, abandoned by you, hero. Then you would not have had to undergo this useless labour, risking your life, nor would your friends have suffered in vain. But you, tiger among kings, following only your anger, like a lesser man, have put forward only my womanhood. You have not taken into account that I am called Janaka’s daughter only in name, that my birth was from the earth; nor, knower of conduct, have you given weight to my conduct. You have not counted the hand you took in my girlhood; my devotion and my character, you have put everything behind you.
Speaking so, weeping, her words choked with tears, Sita says to Lakshmana, who stands wretched, lost in thought: build me a pyre, Saumitri, the remedy for this calamity; struck down by a false accusation, I do not wish to live. Abandoned in the assembly of the people by a husband not pleased with my virtues, I will enter the fire, the only path fit for me. Lakshmana, slayer of enemy heroes, filled with indignation, looks at Raghava; understanding Rama’s wish from his expression, the valiant Saumitri builds the pyre with Rama’s consent. No friend can plead with Rama then, or speak to him, or even look at him, like Yama, the ender at the end of time. Walking around Rama, who stands with his face lowered, the Vaidehi approaches the blazing fire. Bowing to the gods and the brahmins, Maithili, her palms joined, says near the fire: as my heart has never strayed from Raghava, so may the Fire, witness of the world, protect me on every side. As Raghava thinks me impure, though my conduct is pure, so may the Fire, witness of the world, protect me on every side. As I have never been unfaithful in deed, thought or word to Raghava, who knows all dharma, so may the Fire protect me. As the blessed Sun, the Wind, the directions and the Moon, the day, the two twilights, the night and the earth, and others too, know me to be endowed with good conduct, so may it be. Having said this and walked around the fire, the Vaidehi enters the blazing flames with a fearless heart. The great crowd there, full of children and old people, sees the shining Maithili enter the fire; bright as fresh molten gold, adorned with molten gold, she falls into the blazing fire in the presence of all the world. All beings see the wide-eyed Sita falling into the fire, like a golden altar; the sages, gods and gandharvas see the very fortunate one entering the fire like the full oblation at a sacrifice. All the women cry out, seeing her fall into the fire like a stream of ghee consecrated with mantras at a sacrifice; the three worlds, gods, gandharvas and danavas, see her falling like a goddess cursed to fall from heaven into hell. As she enters the fire, a great and wondrous cry of “Alas!” rises from the rakshasas and the monkeys.
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एवमुक्ता तु वैदेही परुषं रोमहर्षणम् । राघवेण सरोषेण श्रुत्वा प्रव्यथिताभवत् ॥ १ ॥
Spoken to so, harshly and hair-raisingly, by angry Raghava, the Vaidehi, hearing it, became deeply pained.
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सा तदाश्रुतपूर्वं हि जने महति मैथिली । श्रुत्वा भर्तुर्वचो घोरं लज्जयावनताभवत् ॥ २ ॥
Hearing then her husband’s terrible words, never heard before, in a great crowd, Maithili was bowed down with shame.
प्रविशन्तीव गात्राणि स्वानि सा जनकात्मजा । वाक्शरैस्तैः सशल्येव भृशमश्रूण्यवर्तयत् ॥ ३ ॥
As if entering into her own limbs, as if pierced with the darts of those word-arrows, the daughter of Janaka shed tears bitterly.
ततो बाष्पपरिक्लिन्नं प्रमार्जन्ती स्वमाननम् । शनैर्गद्गदया वाचा भर्तारमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ ४ ॥
Then, wiping her face wet with tears, she slowly said this to her husband in a choking voice:
किं मामसदृशं वाक्यमीदृशं श्रोत्रदारुणम् । रूक्षं श्रावयसे वीर प्राकृतः प्राकृतामिव ॥ ५ ॥
“Why do you make me hear such unfitting words, cruel to the ear, harsh, hero, as a common man to a common woman?
न तथास्मि महाबाहो यथा मामवगच्छसि । प्रत्ययं गच्छ मे स्वेन चारित्रेणैव ते शपे ॥ ६ ॥
“I am not as you take me to be, mighty-armed one; have trust in me; I swear to you by my own conduct.
पृथक्स्त्रीणां प्रचारेण जातिं त्वं परिशङ्कसे । परित्यजैनां शङ्कां तु यदि तेऽहं परीक्षिता ॥ ७ ॥
“From the behaviour of certain women you suspect the whole kind; give up this suspicion, if I have been tested by you.
यदहं गात्रसंस्पर्शं गतास्मि विवशा प्रभो । कामकारो न मे तत्र दैवं तत्रापराध्यति ॥ ८ ॥
“If I came to the touch of a body, helpless, lord, there was no will of mine in it; fate is at fault in that.
मदधीनं तु यत् तन्मे हृदयं त्वयि वर्तते । पराधीनेषु गात्रेषु किं करिष्याम्यनीश्वरी ॥ ९ ॥
“That which is in my control, my heart, abides in you; with my limbs in another’s power, what could I do, being powerless?
सह संवृद्धभावेन संसर्गेण च मानद । यदि तेऽहं न विज्ञाता हता तेनास्मि शाश्वतम् ॥ १० ॥
“If, through our love that grew together and our living together, giver of honour, I have not been known by you, then I am lost forever.
प्रेषितस्ते महावीरो हनुमानवलोककः । लङ्कास्थाहं त्वया राजन् किं तदा न विसर्जिता ॥ ११ ॥
“When the great hero Hanuman was sent by you as a searcher, why was I, in Lanka, not abandoned by you then, king?
प्रत्यक्षं वानरस्यास्य तद्वाक्यसमनन्तरम् । त्वया संत्यक्तया वीर त्यक्तं स्याज्जीवितं मया ॥ १२ ॥
“Right after hearing that word, before the eyes of this monkey, abandoned by you, hero, I would have given up my life.
न वृथा ते श्रमोऽयं स्यात् संशये न्यस्य जीवितम् । सुहृज्जनपरिक्लेशो न चायं विफलस्तव ॥ १३ ॥
“This labour of yours would not have been in vain, placing your life in danger, nor this distress of your friends to no purpose.
त्वया तु नृपशार्दूल रोषमेवानुवर्तता । लघुनेव मनुष्येण स्त्रीत्वमेव पुरस्कृतम् ॥ १४ ॥
“But by you, tiger among kings, following only anger, like a lesser man, only womanhood has been put in front.
अपदेशेन जनकान्नोत्पत्तिर्वसुधातलात् । मम वृत्तं च वृत्तज्ञ बहु ते न पुरस्कृतम् ॥ १५ ॥
“That I am named from Janaka only by pretext, my origin being from the surface of the earth, and my conduct, knower of conduct, you have not given much weight.
न प्रमाणीकृतः पाणिर्बाल्ये मम निपीडितः । मम भक्तिश्च शीलं च सर्वं ते पृष्ठतः कृतम् ॥ १६ ॥
“The hand of mine taken in girlhood has not been made to count; my devotion and character, all has been put behind you.”
इति ब्रुवन्ती रुदती बाष्पगद्गदभाषिणी । उवाच लक्ष्मणं सीता दीनं ध्यानपरायणम् ॥ १७ ॥
Saying this, weeping, speaking with words choked with tears, Sita said to Lakshmana, wretched, given to brooding:
चितां मे कुरु सौमित्रे व्यसनस्यास्य भेषजम् । मिथ्यापवादोपहता नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे ॥ १८ ॥
“Build me a pyre, Saumitri, the remedy for this calamity; struck by a false accusation, I do not wish to live.
अप्रीतेन गुणैर्भर्त्रा त्यक्ताया जनसंसदि । या क्षमा मे गतिर्गन्तुं प्रवेक्ष्ये हव्यवाहनम् ॥ १९ ॥
“Abandoned in the assembly of the people by a husband not pleased with my virtues, I will enter the bearer of offerings, the path fit for me to go.”
एवमुक्तस्तु वैदेह्या लक्ष्मणः परवीरहा । अमर्षवशमापन्नो राघवं समुदैक्षत ॥ २० ॥
Spoken to so by the Vaidehi, Lakshmana, slayer of enemy heroes, filled with indignation, looked at Raghava.
स विज्ञाय मनश्छन्दं रामस्याकारसूचितम् । चितां चकार सौमित्रिर्मते रामस्य वीर्यवान् ॥ २१ ॥
Understanding the wish of Rama’s mind, indicated by his expression, valiant Saumitri built the pyre with Rama’s consent.
नहि रामं तदा कश्चित् कालान्तकयमोपमम् । अनुनेतुमथो वक्तुं द्रष्टुं वाप्यशकत् सुहृत् ॥ २२ ॥
For no friend could then plead with Rama, nor speak to him, nor even look at him, like Yama, the ender at the end of time.
अधोमुखं स्थितं रामं ततः कृत्वा प्रदक्षिणम् । उपावर्तत वैदेही दीप्यमानं हुताशनम् ॥ २३ ॥
Then, walking round Rama, who stood with face downcast, the Vaidehi approached the blazing fire.
प्रणम्य दैवतेभ्यश्च ब्राह्मणेभ्यश्च मैथिली । बद्धाञ्जलिपुटा चेदमुवाचाग्निसमीपतः ॥ २४ ॥
Bowing to the gods and to the brahmins, Maithili, with joined palms, said this near the fire:
यथा मे हृदयं नित्यं नापसर्पति राघवात् । तथा लोकस्य साक्षी मां सर्वतः पातु पावकः ॥ २५ ॥
“As my heart never moves away from Raghava, so may the Fire, witness of the world, protect me on every side.
यथा मां शुद्धचारित्रां दुष्टां जानाति राघवः । तथा लोकस्य साक्षी मां सर्वतः पातु पावकः ॥ २६ ॥
“As Raghava knows me, whose conduct is pure, as impure, so may the Fire, witness of the world, protect me on every side.
कर्मणा मनसा वाचा यथा नातिचराम्यहम् । राघवं सर्वधर्मज्ञं तथा मां पातु पावकः ॥ २७ ॥
“As I do not transgress against Raghava, knower of all dharma, in deed, thought or word, so may the Fire protect me.
आदित्यो भगवान् वायुर्दिशश्चन्द्रस्तथैव च । अहश्चापि तथा संध्ये रात्रिश्च पृथिवी तथा । यथान्येऽपि विजानन्ति तथा चारित्रसंयुताम् ॥ २८ ॥
“As the blessed Sun, the Wind, the directions and likewise the Moon, the day too, and the two twilights, the night and the earth too, and others too, know me to be joined with good conduct, so may it be.”
एवमुक्त्वा तु वैदेही परिक्रम्य हुताशनम् । विवेश ज्वलनं दीप्तं निःशङ्केनान्तरात्मना ॥ २९ ॥
Having said this and walked round the fire, the Vaidehi entered the blazing flame with a fearless inner self.
जनश्च सुमहांस्तत्र बालवृद्धसमाकुलः । ददर्श मैथिलीं दीप्तां प्रविशन्तीं हुताशनम् ॥ ३० ॥
And the very great crowd there, crowded with children and old people, saw the shining Maithili entering the fire.
सा तप्तनवहेमाभा तप्तकाञ्चनभूषणा । पपात ज्वलनं दीप्तं सर्वलोकस्य संनिधौ ॥ ३१ ॥
She, with the radiance of fresh molten gold, adorned with molten gold, fell into the blazing fire in the presence of the whole world.
ददृशुस्तां विशालाक्षीं पतन्तीं हव्यवाहनम् । सीतां सर्वाणि रूपाणि रुक्मवेदिनिभां तदा ॥ ३२ ॥
All forms of beings saw then that wide-eyed Sita falling into the bearer of offerings, like a golden altar.
ददृशुस्तां महाभागां प्रविशन्तीं हुताशनम् । ऋषयो देवगन्धर्वा यज्ञे पूर्णाहुतीमिव ॥ ३३ ॥
The sages, gods and gandharvas saw that very fortunate one entering the fire, like the full oblation at a sacrifice.
प्रचुक्रुशुः स्त्रियः सर्वास्तां दृष्ट्वा हव्यवाहने । पतन्तीं संस्कृतां मन्त्रैर्वसोर्धारामिवाध्वरे ॥ ३४ ॥
All the women cried out, seeing her falling into the bearer of offerings, like a stream of ghee consecrated with mantras at a sacrifice.
ददृशुस्तां त्रयो लोका देवगन्धर्वदानवाः । शप्तां पतन्तीं निरये त्रिदिवाद् देवतामिव ॥ ३५ ॥
The three worlds, the gods, gandharvas and danavas, saw her falling like a goddess cursed to fall from heaven into hell.
तस्यामग्निं विशन्त्यां तु हाहेति विपुलः स्वनः । रक्षसां वानराणां च सम्बभूवाद्भुतोपमः ॥ ३६ ॥
As she entered the fire, a great sound of “Alas!” arose, like a wonder, from the rakshasas and the monkeys.