Shloka 20

सीताविलापः

Sita’s Lament and Prophecy of Lanka’s Ruin

Devanagari script

हृतेति योऽधिगत्वा मां राघवाय निवेदयेत्।गृध्रराजोऽपि स रणे रावणेन निपातितः।।।।

Transliteration

hṛteti yo ’dhigatvā māṃ rāghavāya nivedayet | gṛdhrarājo ’pi sa raṇe rāvaṇena nipātitaḥ ||

Translation

Selbst der König der Geier—der, als er erfuhr, dass ich geraubt worden war, es Rāghava hätte melden können—wurde im Kampf von Rāvaṇa zu Boden geschlagen.

Word by Word

• हृता: abducted/taken away
• हृता: Karma (कर्म; within quotation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृत (कृदन्त; √हृ धातु)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; past passive participle (understood with अहम्/सीता) in quoted content

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-प्रयोग)

• यः: he who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; relative pronoun

• अधिगत्वा: having learned/come to know
• अधिगत्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल; having learned)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि+√गम् (धातु; त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/त्वान्त), prior action

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• राघवाय: to Raghava
• राघवाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• निवेदयेत्: should report/inform
• निवेदयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+√विद् (धातु; causative sense 'make known')
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• गृध्रराजः: king of vultures (Jatayu)
• गृध्रराजः: Karta (कर्ता; of nipātitaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृध्र-राज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गृध्राणां राजा)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: Concessive particle (even)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; refers to गृध्रराजः

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• रावणेन: by Ravana
• रावणेन: Kartr-karana (कर्तृकरण; agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• निपातितः: was struck down
• निपातितः: Kriya (क्रिया; participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निपातित (कृदन्त; नि+√पत् धातु, णिच्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; past passive participle

Context

"Even the king of vultures knows I was borne away. He could have informed Rama. But he has also been thrashed down on the earth by Ravana in the fight.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Gṛdhrarāja (Jaṭāyu implied)
• Rāvaṇa

FAQs

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

Honoring dharmic intervention: even a non-human ally acts for righteousness; adharma retaliates violently, yet the moral worth of the protector remains supreme.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā recalls that the one who could have conveyed news of her abduction to Rāma (Jaṭāyu) was killed by Rāvaṇa.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Jaṭāyu’s courage and self-sacrifice in resisting wrongdoing.