Shloka 5.21.3

सीताया रावणं प्रति धर्मोपदेशः (Sita’s Dharmic Admonition to Ravana)

Devanagari script

निवर्तय मनो मत्तः स्वजने क्रियतां मनः।।।।न मां प्रार्थयितुं युक्तं सुसिद्धिमिव पापकृत्।

Transliteration

nivartaya mano mattaḥ sva-jane kriyatāṃ manaḥ | na māṃ prārthayituṃ yuktaṃ su-siddhim iva pāpa-kṛt ||

Translation

Turn your mind away from me; set your desire upon your own women. It is not fitting for you to seek me—just as an evildoer cannot rightly hope for blessed attainment.

Context

"Turn your mind away from me and fix it on your wives. You should not expect to seek me just as a sinner cannot hope to seek blessedness.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāvaṇa (implied as addressee)

FAQs

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

Respect for marital fidelity and consent: desiring another’s spouse is adharma, and moral ends cannot be reached through immoral intent.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā directly refuses Rāvaṇa’s advances in Aśoka-vana and instructs him to desist.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s chastity (pativratā-dharma) and unwavering adherence to truth and propriety.