Shloka 47
सीताभर्त्सना
The Ogresses’ Threats to Sita and Her Vow of Fidelity
सुरा चानीयतां क्षिप्रं सर्वशोकविनाशिनी।मानुषं मांसमास्वाद्य नृत्यामोऽथ निकुम्भिलाम्।।5.24.47।।
surā cānīyatāṃ kṣipraṃ sarvaśokavināśinī | mānuṣaṃ māṃsam āsvādya nṛtyāmo 'tha nikumbhilām ||5.24.47||
„Bringt schnell den Wein herbei — den Vernichter allen Kummers. Nachdem wir Menschenfleisch gekostet haben, wollen wir in Nikumbhilā tanzen.“
Threatened by the ogresses in that manner, Sita who was like the daughter of a god, cried aloud.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē sundarakāṇḍē caturviṅśassargaḥ.Thus ends the twentyfourth sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
The verse portrays adharma as not only violence but revelry in wrongdoing; Dharma in the Ramayana is inseparable from self-control and reverence for life.
The ogresses imagine a feast and celebratory dance after harming Sītā, showing their attempt to turn sin into festivity.
Sītā’s purity (śauca) is emphasized by contrast with the rākṣasīs’ indulgence and moral disorder.