Shloka 5.19.21
सीताव्यथा-वर्णनम् / Sītā’s Distress and Rāvaṇa’s Attempt at Coercive Allurement
उपवासेन शोकेन ध्यानेन च भयेन च।परिक्षीणां कृशां दीनामल्पाहारां तपोधनाम्।।।।
daśagrīvas tu vaidehīṃ rakṣitāṃ rākṣasīgaṇaiḥ |
dadarśa sītāṃ duḥkhārtāṃ nāvaṃ sannām ivārṇave ||
Then Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa) saw Vaidehī—Sītā—guarded by bands of rākṣasīs, grief-stricken like a boat sunk in the sea.
She was wasted and emaciated through fasting and grief, depressed due to brooding and threatenings. She ate very little but was rich with austerities.
The verse frames captivity and intimidation as conditions produced by adharma; dharma stands implicitly on the side of protecting the vulnerable rather than surrounding them with fear.
Rāvaṇa arrives and beholds Sītā under guard, setting up his attempt to pressure her to submit.
Sītā’s steadfastness is implied by her continuing identity as Vaidehī despite coercive surroundings; her integrity remains intact though she is “submerged” in sorrow.