Shloka 5.20.36

रावणस्य सीताप्रलोभनम् (Ravana’s Persuasion and Coercive Courtship of Sita)

Devanagari script

कुसुमिततरुजालसन्ततानि भ्रमरयुतानि समुद्रतीरजानि।कनकविमलहारभूषिताङ्गी विहर मया सह भीरु काननानि।।5.20.36।।

Transliteration

piba vihara ramasva bhuṅkṣva bhogān dhananicayaṃ pradiśāmi medinīṃ ca | mayi lala lalane yathāsukhaṃ tvaṃ tvayi ca sametya lalantu bāndhavās te || 5.20.35 ||

Translation

Drink, sport, rejoice, and enjoy delights—I shall grant you heaps of wealth and even land. Sport with me, O lovely woman, as you please; and let your kinsfolk also gather and rejoice.

Context

"O timid lady! embellish yourself with necklaces of pure gold and enjoy with me in the enchanting seaside forest groves full of trees with blossoms and swarming bees.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē sundarakāṇḍē viṅśassargaḥ.Thus ends the twentieth sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Sītā
• medinī (land/earth)

FAQs

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

Dharma prioritizes right conduct over pleasure: bhoga offered without righteousness becomes a tool of exploitation and cannot be accepted by one committed to truth.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāvaṇa expands his enticement into a full promise of luxury—wealth, land, pleasure, and social comfort for Sītā and her family.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s steadfastness: she refuses a life of comfort when it requires abandoning dharma and her truthful commitment to Rāma.