Shloka 24
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
वसुधायाहिवसुधांश्रियःश्रींभर्तृवत्सलाम् ।सीतांसर्वानवद्याङ्गीमरण्येविजनेशुभाम् ।।।।आनयित्वातुतांदीनांछद्मनात्मस्वदूषण ।अप्राप्यतंचैवकामंमैथिलीसङ्गमेकृतम् ।।।।पतिव्रतायास्तपसानूनंदग्धोऽसिमेप्रभो ।
vasudhāyā hi vasudhāṃ śriyaḥ śrīṃ bhartṛ-vatsalām | sītāṃ sarvān-avadyāṅgīm araṇye vijane śubhām ||
ānayitvā tu tāṃ dīnāṃ chadmanā ātma-sva-dūṣaṇa | aprāpya taṃ caiva kāmaṃ maithilī-saṅgame kṛtam ||
pativratāyās tapasā nūnaṃ dagdho 'si me prabho ||
Durch List — dein eigenes Haus beschmutzend — brachtest du die hilflose Sītā fort: glückverheißend, allein im einsamen Wald; an jedem Glied makellos; duldsam wie die Erde; strahlend wie Śrī-Lakṣmī; und ihrem Gemahl ergeben. Doch dein Verlangen nach Vereinigung mit der Maithilī blieb unerfüllt. Wahrlich, mein Herr, dich verzehrte die Kraft des Tapas jener keuschen Gattin.
"O king! You dishonoured your wives and me. Sita, who is tolerant as the goddess of earth, prosperous, goddess of fortune, who is fond of her husband, charming in all respects, living alone in the forest, an auspicious one, desperate, was brought in disguise by you. Before you cherished your desire to be in union with Mythili, surely you got burnt by her austerity."
FAQs
Dharma condemns deceit and violation of another’s spouse; it also affirms the spiritual power of chastity and truth (satya) as protective forces.
Mandodarī recounts Rāvaṇa’s abduction of Sītā by disguise and interprets his failure and downfall as the consequence of affronting a pativratā.
Sītā’s pativratā-dharma—devotion, purity, forbearance—and the potency of tapas aligned with righteousness.