Shloka 3.52.18
सीताहरण-विलापः / The Lament at Jatāyu and the Abduction of Sītā
तस्यास्तत्सुनसं वक्त्रमाकाशे रावणाङ्कगम्।न रराज विना रामं विनालमिव पङ्कजम्।।।।
tasyās tat sunasaṃ vaktram ākāśe rāvaṇāṅkagam |
na rarāja vinā rāmaṃ vinālam iva paṅkajam ||
Her lovely, fine-nosed face, borne aloft in the sky upon Rāvaṇa’s lap, did not shine without Rāma—like a lotus without its stalk.
Sita's face with her beautiful nose on Ravana's lap and not on Rama's, shone no more like a lotus without its stalk.
The verse underscores maryādā and fidelity: Sītā’s rightful relationship with Rāma is portrayed as organic and life-giving, like a lotus and its stalk—separation is a moral and emotional rupture.
Sītā is in the sky on Rāvaṇa’s lap; the poet notes that her radiance is diminished because she is separated from Rāma.
Sītā’s unwavering devotion to Rāma (pativratā-bhāva), expressed through the imagery of lost radiance in separation.