Shloka 5.19.5
सीताव्यथा-वर्णनम् / Sītā’s Distress and Rāvaṇa’s Attempt at Coercive Allurement
असंवृतायामासीनां धरण्यां संशितव्रताम्।छिन्नां प्रपतितां भूमौ शाखामिव वनस्पतेः।।।।
ekayā dīrghayā veṇyā śobhamānām ayatnataḥ |
nīlayā nīradāpāye vanarājyā mahīm iva ||
Even with a single long braid, carelessly kept, she appeared beautiful—like the earth at the clearing of the rains, marked by one dark line of forest-trees.
She looked woeful seated on the bare earth like the broken branch of a tree cut and fallen down on the ground.
True worth is not dependent on display; dharma and inner nobility can remain evident even when one is deprived of normal care and adornment.
The poet continues describing Sītā’s condition in captivity: neglected outwardly, yet still naturally radiant.
Tejas with simplicity—quiet dignity that does not seek ornamentation to prove value.