Shloka 5.19.12
सीताव्यथा-वर्णनम् / Sītā’s Distress and Rāvaṇa’s Attempt at Coercive Allurement
सन्नामिव महाकीर्तिं श्रद्धामिव विमानिताम्।पूजामिव परिक्षीणामाशां प्रतिहतामिव।।।।
abhūtenāpavādena kīrtiṃ nipatitām iva |
āmnāyānām ayogena vidyāṃ praśithilām iva ||
She seemed like a reputation brought low by false slander—like sacred learning loosened and weakened when the Vedic disciplines are not properly practiced.
She was like great fame grown dim, faith slighted, worship meddled and hope frustrated.(Note: Sita's condition is being compared with abstract concepts such as fame, faith, reverence and hope which are hit by reverses in fate. She was the personification of all such suffering.)
Satya and restraint in speech are central: false accusation (abhūta-apavāda) destroys honor. Dharma requires truthful speech and protection of another’s good name.
Sītā’s diminished condition in captivity is described through similes, emphasizing how external harm can make even the most honored appear ‘fallen’—though her virtue remains intact.
Sītā’s unimpaired integrity: the comparisons show the tragedy of her situation, not any moral failing—her satya remains, even if her outward state is made pitiable.