Shloka 3.56.2

सीताया रावणनिन्दा — अशोकवनिकाप्रवेशः (Sita’s Rebuke of Ravana; Removal to the Ashoka Grove)

Devanagari script

राजा दशरथो नाम धर्मसेतुरिवाचलः।सत्यसन्धः परिज्ञातो यस्य पुत्रस्सराघवः।।।।

Transliteration

krīḍantī rājahaṃsena padmaṣaṇḍeṣu nityadā | haṃsī sā tṛṇaṣaṇḍasthaṃ kathaṃ paśyeta madgukam ||

Translation

How could a female swan, ever sporting among lotus-groves with a royal swan, even cast her gaze toward a madguka-bird perched in a clump of grass?

Context

Rama is a son of the renowned king Dasaratha, who was a firm ambankment (protector) of righteousness and was true to his promise.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāvaṇa
• rājahaṃsa (royal swan)
• haṃsī (female swan)
• padma (lotus)
• madguka (water-bird)

FAQs

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

Dharma includes discernment in association: the noble do not consent to the base. Moral incompatibility is expressed through poetic analogy.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā rejects any possibility of accepting Rāvaṇa, contrasting Rāma’s nobility with Rāvaṇa’s baseness.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s unwavering loyalty and refined moral discrimination.