Shloka 30

Śrī Rāmacandra-avatāra — Vow, Exile, Laṅkā-vijaya, and Rāma-rājya

Concise Bhāgavata Account

Devanagari script

ततो ददर्श भगवानशोकवनिकाश्रमे । क्षामां स्वविरहव्याधिं शिंशपामूलमाश्रिताम् ॥ ३० ॥

Transliteration

tato dadarśa bhagavān aśoka-vanikāśrame kṣāmāṁ sva-viraha-vyādhiṁ śiṁśapā-mūlam-āśritām

Translation

Thereafter, Bhagavān Śrī Rāmacandra beheld Sītādevī in the hermitage within the Aśoka grove, seated beneath the Siṁśapā tree, emaciated by the affliction of separation from Him.

Synonyms

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence/time

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Luṅ (लुङ्, aorist), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (प्रथमा/1st case), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• aśoka-vanikā-āśrame: in the hermitage of the Aśoka grove
• aśoka-vanikā-āśrame: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśoka (प्रातिपदिक) + vanikā (प्रातिपदिक) + āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (सप्तमी/7th case), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); samāsa: aśokasya vanikāyāḥ āśrame (genitive-determinative)

• kṣāmām: emaciated
• kṣāmām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); used as viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of implied Sītā

• sva-viraha-vyādhim: the illness of separation from her own (lord)
• sva-viraha-vyādhim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + viraha (प्रातिपदिक) + vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); samāsa: svasya virahaḥ (genitive) → viraha-vyādhiḥ (tatpuruṣa)

• śiṁśapā-mūlam: the root/base of the śiṁśapā tree
• śiṁśapā-mūlam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṁśapā (प्रातिपदिक) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); samāsa: śiṁśapāyāḥ mūlam (genitive-determinative)

• āśritām: having taken refuge at / seated by
• āśritām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-śri (धातु)
• Form: Kta (क्त) past passive participle (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त), Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); agrees with implied Sītā

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Rāma
• Sītā

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about devotion in separation (viraha-bhakti)?

This verse portrays Sītā’s intense love expressed as suffering in separation from Lord Rāma—showing how remembrance and longing for the Lord can become a profound form of devotion.

Why is Sītā described as emaciated under a śiṁśapā tree in the Aśoka grove?

The Bhagavatam highlights her weakened state due to separation from Rāma and situates her in Laṅkā’s Aśoka grove, where she endures captivity while remaining faithful and absorbed in Him.

Practical application of the mood of separation in modern devotional life?

When feeling distance from God, transform it into sincere prayer, steady remembrance, and committed practice—letting longing deepen humility and dependence on the Lord.