Shloka 5.19.13
सीताव्यथा-वर्णनम् / Sītā’s Distress and Rāvaṇa’s Attempt at Coercive Allurement
आयतीमिव विध्वस्तामाज्ञां प्रतिहतामिव।दीप्तामिव दिशं काले पूजामपहृतामिव।।।।
sannām iva mahākīrtiṃ śraddhām iva vimānitām |
pūjām iva parikṣīṇām āśāṃ pratihatām iva ||
She was like great fame grown dim; like faith that has been insulted; like worship diminished; like hope struck down and thwarted.
She was like a prospect blasted, command flouted, entire direction set on flames at the time of catastrophe and articles of worship abducted by evil forces at the sacrificial ceremony.
Dharma is sustained by śraddhā and hope; adharma attacks these inner supports. The verse teaches that injustice harms not only bodies but also the moral-spiritual atmosphere of life.
A series of similes portrays Sītā’s dejected state in Laṅkā, communicating emotional devastation under oppression.
Resilience: even when hope and faith seem ‘struck,’ Sītā’s commitment to truth and righteousness endures beneath outward despondency.