Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 81 of 128 · 34 verses
The Illusory Sita Is Killed
Understanding great Raghava’s intention, Indrajit withdraws from the battle and enters the city. Remembering the deaths of those swift rakshasas, his eyes copper-red with anger, he comes out again by the western gate surrounded by rakshasas, the very valiant Paulastya, thorn of the gods. Seeing Rama and Lakshmana ready for battle, he brings forth an illusion: he places a Sita made of magic in his chariot, surrounds her with a great army, and decides to kill her, to bewilder them all. The forest-dwellers spring up with rocks; Hanuman leads them, carrying a huge mountain peak. He sees Sita in Indrajit’s chariot, joyless, with a single braid, wretched, her face thin from fasting, in one soiled garment, unwashed, her whole body smeared with dust and dirt: Raghava’s beloved. He gazes at her a moment and decides it is Maithili, for he had seen her not long before. Seeing her grief-stricken, joyless, wretched, in the power of the rakshasa king’s son, he wonders what the rakshasa intends and rushes at him with the best monkeys.
Seeing the monkey army, Indrajit, mad with anger, draws his sword and drags Sita by her hair; while they watch, he strikes the woman joined to his chariot by magic as she cries “Rama! Rama!” Seeing her seized by the hair, Hanuman is filled with misery, tears of grief pouring from his eyes, and says harshly to the son of the rakshasa king: evil one, you touch her hair to your own destruction. Born in a family of brahmin seers, you have taken to a rakshasa birth. Shame on you, whose mind is like this, cruel, ignoble, wicked, petty, of sinful valour; this is the deed of an ignoble one; you have no pity, pitiless one. Maithili has lost her home, her kingdom and Rama’s hand: what wrong has she done you, that you kill her, merciless one? If you kill Sita you will not live long; by that deed you have come into my hands, deserving death; giving up your life here, you will reach after death the worlds of those who kill women, despised even by those whom the world condemns to death.
Hanuman rushes at him with the armed monkeys; Indrajit holds them off with his rakshasas, scatters the monkey army with a thousand arrows, and replies: the Vaidehi for whose sake you, Sugriva and Rama have come here, I will kill now before your eyes; then I will kill Rama, Lakshmana, you, Sugriva and that ignoble Vibhishana. As for your saying that women must not be killed, monkey: whatever pains one’s enemies must be done. With that, he himself cuts down the weeping illusory Sita with his sharp sword, slicing her from shoulder to hip, and the lovely, broad-hipped ascetic falls to the earth. Indrajit says to Hanuman: see Rama’s beloved, killed by my weapon; the Vaidehi has been cut down; your labour has been in vain. Delighted, he stands in his chariot and roars; the monkeys nearby hear him roar with wide-open mouth from his stronghold. Having killed Sita, the evil-minded son of Ravana is jubilant; seeing him so, the monkeys, stricken, flee.
Press › to begin with verse 1.
विज्ञाय तु मनस्तस्य राघवस्य महात्मनः । स निवृत्याहवात् तस्मात् प्रविवेश पुरं ततः ॥ १ ॥
Understanding the intention of that great-souled Raghava, he turned back from that battle and entered the city then.
Commentary on the whole sarga
The Illusory Sita Is Killed 1 min read.
Read the commentary
सोऽनुस्मृत्य वधं तेषां राक्षसानां तरस्विनाम् । क्रोधताम्रेक्षणः शूरो निर्जगामाथ रावणिः ॥ २ ॥
Remembering the killing of those swift rakshasas, the hero, his eyes copper-red with anger, Ravana’s son, then went out.
स पश्चिमेन द्वारेण निर्ययौ राक्षसैर्वृतः । इन्द्रजित् सुमहावीर्यः पौलस्त्यो देवकण्टकः ॥ ३ ॥
He went out by the western gate, surrounded by rakshasas: Indrajit, very valiant, Paulastya, the thorn of the gods.
इन्द्रजित्तु ततो दृष्ट्वा भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । रणायाभ्युुद्यतौ वीरौ मायां प्रादुष्करोत् तदा ॥ ४ ॥
Then Indrajit, seeing the two brothers Rama and Lakshmana, the heroes, ready for battle, brought forth an illusion then.
इन्द्रजित्तु रथे स्थाप्य सीतां मायामयीं तदा । बलेन महतावृत्य तस्या वधमरोचयत् ॥ ५ ॥
Indrajit, placing in his chariot a Sita made of illusion then, surrounding her with a great army, chose to kill her.
मोहनार्थं तु सर्वेषां बुद्धिं कृत्वा सुदुर्मतिः । हन्तुं सीतां व्यवसितो वानराभिमुखो ययौ ॥ ६ ॥
Having made up his mind to bewilder them all, the very evil-minded one, resolved to kill Sita, went toward the monkeys.
तं दृष्ट्वा त्वभिनिर्यान्तं सर्वे ते काननौकसः । उत्पेतुरभिसंक्रुद्धाः शिलाहस्ता युयुत्सवः ॥ ७ ॥
Seeing him coming out, all those forest-dwellers sprang up in great anger, with rocks in their hands, eager to fight.
हनूमान् पुरतस्तेषां जगाम कपिकुञ्जरः । प्रगृह्य सुमहच्छृङ्गं पर्वतस्य दुरासदम् ॥ ८ ॥
Hanuman, elephant among monkeys, went in front of them, taking a very great, unassailable mountain peak.
स ददर्श हतानन्दां सीतामिन्द्रजितो रथे । एकवेणीधरां दीनामुपवासकृशाननाम् ॥ ९ ॥
He saw Sita in Indrajit’s chariot, her joy destroyed, wearing a single braid, wretched, her face thin from fasting,
परिक्लिष्टैकवसनाममृजां राघवप्रियाम् । रजोमलाभ्यामालिप्तैः सर्वगात्रैर्वरस्त्रियम् ॥ १० ॥
in one worn garment, unwashed, Raghava’s beloved, the finest of women, with all her limbs smeared with dust and dirt.
तां निरीक्ष्य मुहूर्तं तु मैथिलीमध्यवस्य च । बभूवाचिरदृष्टा हि तेन सा जनकात्मजा ॥ ११ ॥
Gazing at her for a moment and deciding she was Maithili, for the daughter of Janaka had been seen by him not long before,
अब्रवीत् तां तु शोकार्तां निरानन्दां तपस्विनीम् । दृष्ट्वा रथस्थितां दीनां राक्षसेन्द्रसुतश्रिताम् ॥ १२ ॥
seeing her grief-stricken, joyless, the ascetic woman, standing in the chariot, wretched, in the keeping of the son of the king of the rakshasas,
किं समर्थितमस्येति चिन्तयन् स महाकपिः । सह तैर्वानरश्रेष्ठैरभ्यधावत रावणिम् ॥ १३ ॥
thinking “What has he resolved?”, the great monkey, with those best of monkeys, rushed at Ravana’s son.
तद् वानरबलं दृष्ट्वा रावणिः क्रोधमूर्च्छितः । कृत्वा विकोशं निस्त्रिंशं मूर्ध्नि सीतामकर्षयत् ॥ १४ ॥
Seeing that monkey army, Ravana’s son, overcome with anger, drawing his sword from its sheath, dragged Sita by the head.
तां स्त्रियं पश्यतां तेषां ताडयामास राक्षसः । क्रोशन्तीं राम रामेति मायया योजितां रथे ॥ १५ ॥
While they watched, the rakshasa struck that woman, joined to the chariot by illusion, crying “Rama! Rama!”
गृहीतमूर्धजां दृष्ट्वा हनूमान् दैन्यमागतः । दुःखजं वारि नेत्राभ्यामुत्सृजन् मारुतात्मजः ॥ १६ ॥
Seeing her seized by the hair, Hanuman, son of the Wind, fell into misery, shedding from his eyes water born of grief.
तां दृष्ट्वा चारुसर्वाङ्गीं रामस्य महिषीं प्रियाम् । अब्रवीत् परुषं वाक्यं क्रोधाद् रक्षोधिपात्मजम् ॥ १७ ॥
Seeing Rama’s beloved queen, lovely in every limb, he spoke harsh words in anger to the son of the lord of the rakshasas:
दुरात्मन्नात्मनाशाय केशपक्षे परामृशः । ब्रह्मर्षीणां कुले जातो राक्षसीं योनिमाश्रितः ॥ १८ ॥
“Evil one, to your own destruction you touch her braid of hair. Born in a family of brahmin seers, you have taken to a rakshasa birth.
धिक् त्वां पापसमाचारं यस्य ते मतिरीदृशी । नृशंसानार्य दुर्वृत्त क्षुद्र पापपराक्रम । अनार्यस्येदृशं कर्म घृणा ते नास्ति निर्घृण ॥ १९ ॥
“Shame on you, of sinful conduct, whose mind is such! Cruel, ignoble, ill-behaved, petty, of sinful valour! Such a deed is an ignoble one’s; you have no pity, pitiless one.
च्युता गृहाच्च राज्याच्च रामहस्ताच्च मैथिली । किं तवैषापराद्धा हि यदेनां हंसि निर्दय ॥ २० ॥
“Maithili has fallen from her home, from her kingdom and from Rama’s hand: what wrong has she done you, that you kill her, merciless one?
सीतां हत्वा तु न चिरं जीविष्यसि कथंचन । वधार्ह कर्मणा तेन मम हस्तगतो ह्यसि ॥ २१ ॥
“Having killed Sita, you will by no means live long; by that deed, you who deserve death, you have come into my hands.
ये च स्त्रीघातिनां लोका लोकवध्यैश्च कुत्सिताः । इह जीवितमुत्सृज्य प्रेत्य तान् प्रति लप्स्यसे ॥ २२ ॥
“And the worlds of those who kill women, despised even by those the world condemns to death: giving up your life here, you will gain them after death.”
इति ब्रुवाणो हनुमान् सायुधैर्हरिभिर्वृतः । अभ्यधावत् सुसंक्रुद्धो राक्षसेन्द्रसुतं प्रति ॥ २३ ॥
Saying this, Hanuman, surrounded by armed monkeys, rushed in great anger at the son of the king of the rakshasas.
आपतन्तं महावीर्यं तदनीकं वनौकसाम् । रक्षसां भीमकोपानामनीकेन न्यवारयत् ॥ २४ ॥
That army of forest-dwellers, very valiant, rushing on, he held back with an army of rakshasas of terrible anger.
स तां बाणसहस्रेण विक्षोभ्य हरिवाहिनीम् । हनूमन्तं हरिश्रेष्ठमिन्द्रजित् प्रत्युवाच ह ॥ २५ ॥
Throwing that monkey army into confusion with a thousand arrows, Indrajit replied to Hanuman, best of monkeys:
सुग्रीवस्त्वं च रामश्च यन्निमित्तमिहागताः । तां वधिष्यामि वैदेहीमद्यैव तव पश्यतः ॥ २६ ॥
“Her for whose sake Sugriva, you and Rama have come here, that Vaidehi I will kill now before your very eyes.
इमां हत्वा ततो रामं लक्ष्मणं त्वां च वानर । सुग्रीवं च वधिष्यामि तं चानार्यं विभीषणम् ॥ २७ ॥
“Having killed her, monkey, I will then kill Rama, Lakshmana and you, and Sugriva, and that ignoble Vibhishana.
न हन्तव्याः स्त्रियश्चेति यद् ब्रवीषि प्लवंगम । पीडाकरममित्राणां यच्च कर्तव्यमेव तत् ॥ २८ ॥
“As for what you say, leaper, that women must not be killed: whatever gives pain to enemies, that must be done.”
तमेवमुक्त्वा रुदतीं सीतां मायामयीं च ताम् । शितधारेण खड्गेन निजघानेन्द्रजित् स्वयम् ॥ २९ ॥
Having said this to him, Indrajit himself struck down that weeping Sita made of illusion with a sharp-edged sword.
यज्ञोपवीतमार्गेण छिन्ना तेन तपस्विनी । सा पृथिव्यां पृथुश्रोणी पपात प्रियदर्शना ॥ ३० ॥
Cut by him along the line of the sacred thread, that ascetic woman, broad-hipped, lovely to see, fell on the earth.
तामिन्द्रजित् स्त्रियं हत्वा हनूमन्तमुवाच ह । मया रामस्य पश्येमां प्रियां शस्त्रनिषूदिताम् । एषा विशस्ता वैदेही निष्फलो वः परिश्रमः ॥ ३१ ॥
Having killed that woman, Indrajit said to Hanuman: “See this beloved of Rama, cut down by me with a weapon. This Vaidehi is slaughtered; your labour is fruitless.”
ततः खड्गेन महता हत्वा तामिन्द्रजित्स्वयम् । हृष्टः स रथमास्थाय ननाद च महास्वनम् ॥ ३२ ॥
Then, having himself killed her with a great sword, Indrajit, delighted, standing in his chariot, roared with a great sound.
वानराः शुश्रुवुः शब्दमदूरे प्रत्यवस्थिताः । व्यादितास्यस्य नदतस्तद्दुर्गं संश्रितस्य तु ॥ ३३ ॥
The monkeys, standing not far off, heard the sound of him roaring with open mouth, resting in that stronghold.
तथा तु सीतां विनिहत्य दुर्मतिः प्रहृष्टचेताः स बभूव रावणिः । तं हृष्टरूपं समुदीक्ष्य वानरा विषण्णरूपाः समभिप्रदुद्रुवुः ॥ ३४ ॥
Having killed Sita in that way, the evil-minded son of Ravana became jubilant; seeing him in joyful form, the monkeys, stricken in form, fled.