Shloka 3.53.26

सीताविलापः रावणनिन्दा च (Sita’s Lament and Condemnation of Ravana)

Devanagari script

तथा भृशार्तां बहुचैव भाषिणीं विलापपूर्वं करुणं च भामिनीम्।जहार पापः करुणं विचेष्टतीं नृपात्मजामागतगात्रवेपथुम्।।3.53.26।।

Transliteration

tvayaiva nūnaṃ duṣṭātman bhīruṇā hartum icchatā |

mamāpavāhito bhartā mṛgarūpeṇa māyayā ||3.53.4||

Translation

Indeed, O wicked one, it was you—timid at heart and intent on abducting me—who lured my husband away by deceit, taking the form of a deer through māyā.

Context

Sinful Ravana carried away the beautiful princess trembling with great fear, struggling helplessly, crying pathetically and pleading in many mournful ways.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē araṇyakāṇḍē tripañcāśassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the fiftythird sarga of Aranyakanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā (Vaidehī)
• Rāvaṇa
• Rāma
• mṛga (deer-form illusion)

FAQs

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

Dharma rejects māyā used for harm: deception to separate protectors and victimize the vulnerable is adharma. The verse critiques cowardice disguised as strategy.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā identifies the deception behind the abduction: Rāma was drawn away by an illusory deer, enabling Rāvaṇa’s crime.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s clarity and truthfulness (satya): she names the method—deceit—and exposes the moral weakness behind it.