Shloka 20

अशोकवनिकायां सीतादर्शनम्

Sita Seen in the Ashoka Grove

Devanagari script

मन्दप्रख्यायमानेन रूपेण रुचिरप्रभाम्।पिनद्धां धूमजालेन शिखामिव विभावसोः।।।।

Transliteration

mandaprakhyāyamānena rūpeṇa ruciraprabhām |

pinaddhāṃ dhūmajālena śikhām iva vibhāvasoḥ || 5.15.20 ||

Translation

Obwohl ihre Gestalt nur schwach zu erkennen war, trug sie doch noch einen lieblichen Glanz—wie die Spitze einer Flamme, von einem Netz aus Rauch umhüllt.

Word by Word

• manda-prakhyāyamānena: by a faintly recognizable
• manda-prakhyāyamānena: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manda (प्रातिपदिक) + prakhyāyamāna (कृदन्त; √khyā + pra)
• Form: Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया) ekavacana (singular), napuṃsaka? agreeing with rūpeṇa; prakhyāyamāna = vartamāna-kṛdanta (present passive participle/शानच्), instrumental singular; English: "by a faintly appearing/recognizable"

• rūpeṇa: by (her) form/appearance
• rūpeṇa: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (neuter), Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), ekavacana (singular)

• rucira-prabhām: having lovely radiance
• rucira-prabhām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rucira (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), ekavacana (singular)

• pinaddhām: covered/enshrouded
• pinaddhām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √nah (धातु) + ni (उपसर्ग) ; pinaddha (कृदन्त; past passive participle/क्त)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana; kta-pratyaya (past passive participle)

• dhūma-jālena: by a net/mass of smoke
• dhūma-jālena: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūma (प्रातिपदिक) + jāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Tṛtīyā, ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (dhūmasya jālam)

• śikhām: flame/tongue of flame
• śikhām: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana

• iva: like/as
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; upamā-marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Upamā-vācaka avyaya (particle of comparison)

• vibhāvasoḥ: of fire
• vibhāvasoḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhāvasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), ekavacana (singular)

Context

Then he beheld a lady surrounded by female demons. Clad in soiled clothes she looked dejected, emaciated through fasting and was sighing repeatedly. She appeared thin and pale like the crescent Moon at the beginning of the bright fortnight.

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Sītā

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The simile teaches that Dharma and satya can be obscured by suffering and oppression yet remain inherently luminous; virtue may be veiled, not destroyed.

What is the narrative situation?

After seeing Sītā’s weakened state, the narrator describes her diminished outward appearance while emphasizing her undiminished inner radiance.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral steadfastness (niṣṭhā): Sītā’s inner brilliance persists even when her body is worn by hardship.