Shloka 5.19.19

सीताव्यथा-वर्णनम् / Sītā’s Distress and Rāvaṇa’s Attempt at Coercive Allurement

Devanagari script

गृहीतामालितां स्तम्भे यूथपेन विनाकृताम्।निःश्वसन्तीं सुदुःखार्तां गजराजवधूमिव।।।।

Transliteration

sukumārīṃ sujātāṅgīṃ ratnagarbhagṛhocitām |

tapyamānām ivoṣṇena mṛṇālīm aciroddhṛtām ||

Translation

Delicate, beautifully formed, fit to dwell in a palace filled with jewels—she now seemed like a lotus-stalk freshly plucked, scorched by heat.

Context

She was sighing heavily in intense grief like a royal female elephant tied to a pillar and separated from her lord, the leader of the herd.

Characters & Entities

• Lotus-stalk (mṛṇāla)

FAQs

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

Dharma demands protection and proper care for those who are vulnerable. The verse stresses the injustice of displacing the rightful (a queenly figure) into conditions of torment.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā’s fragility and suffering are highlighted by contrasting her deserving royal comfort with her present harsh reality.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Dignity and purity: like a lotus-stalk, she symbolizes stainlessness, made to suffer by external heat rather than inner fault.