Shloka 5.15.37
अशोकवनिकायां सीतादर्शनम् (Sita Seen in the Ashoka Grove)
मलपङ्कधरां दीनां मण्डनार्हाममण्डिताम्।प्रभां नक्षत्रराजस्य कालमेघैरिवावृताम्।।।।
malapaṅkadharāṃ dīnāṃ maṇḍanārhām amaṇḍitām | prabhāṃ nakṣatrarājasya kālameghair ivāvṛtām ||
Smeared with dirt and mud, wretched, though worthy of adornment yet unadorned—she was like the moon’s radiance veiled by dark clouds.
Covered with dirt and mud and shorn of adornments even though she deserved them, she looked wretched like the radiance of the Moon muffled by dark clouds.
It teaches discernment aligned with Satya: outward neglect can conceal inner purity; Dharma recognizes intrinsic worth beyond appearance.
Hanumān sees Sītā’s neglected, soiled state and compares her hidden radiance to the moon behind clouds.
Sītā’s undiminished inner splendor—her virtue remains even when external signs of royalty are absent.