Valmiki Ramayana 6.48.7 — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 48, Shloka 7

सीताविलापः—त्रिजटासान्त्वनं च

Sita’s Lament and Trijata’s Consolation

Devanagari script

वैधव्यंयान्तियैर्नार्योऽलक्षणैर्भाग्यदुर्लभाः ।नात्मनन्तानिपश्यामिपश्यन्तीहतलक्षणा ।।।।

Transliteration

vaidhavyaṃ yānti yair nāryo 'lakṣaṇair bhāgyadurlabhāḥ |

nātmanaṃ tāni paśyāmi paśyantī hatalakṣaṇā ||

Translation

Jene unheilvollen Zeichen, durch die unglückliche Frauen in die Witwenschaft fallen—ich sehe sie nicht an mir; auch halte ich mich nicht für eine, deren glückverheißende Merkmale erloschen sind.

Word by Word

• vaidhavyam: widowhood
• vaidhavyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaidhavya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• yānti: go/come to
• yānti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धाातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथमपुरुष), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन)

• yaiḥ: by which/with which
• yaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); relative pronoun

• nāryaḥ: women
• nāryaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन)

• alakṣaṇaiḥ: by inauspicious signs
• alakṣaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); viśeṣaṇa of yaiḥ (instrumental)

• bhāgya-durlabhāḥ: hard to obtain by fortune
• bhāgya-durlabhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāgya (प्रातिपदिक) + durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: bhāgyasya durlabhāḥ

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha (निषेध) particle

• ātmani: in myself
• ātmani: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tāni: those (signs)
• tāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Uttama-puruṣa (1st/उत्तमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• paśyantī: seeing (I)
• paśyantī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Vartamāna-kṛdanta (वर्तमानकृदन्त) śatṛ-pratyaya; Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); agrees with speaker (aham)

• hata-lakṣaṇā: one whose auspicious marks are lost
• hata-lakṣaṇā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hata (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: hatāni lakṣaṇāni yasyāḥ (sense: signs destroyed)

Context

Having entered the Rakshasa's pleasure garden which had many trees, Sita gave way to intense sorrow having keenly observed the king's sons.।। ityārṣēvālmīkīyēśrīmadrāmāyaṇēādikāvyēyuddhakāṇḍēaṣṭacatvāriṅśassargaḥ ।।This is the end of the forty eighth sarga of Yuddha Kanda of the first epic the holy Ramayana composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā

FAQs

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

The verse asserts trust in dharmic causality: righteousness should not culminate in unjust ruin. Sita’s reasoning is an ethical protest against the idea that Dharma could end in meaningless suffering.

What is the narrative situation?

Sita counters the fear of becoming widowed by invoking traditional sign-theory, as a way to hold onto hope while captive in Lanka.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Resilience: even in despair, Sita searches for truthful grounds to resist collapse into hopelessness.