Shloka 5.26.26

सीताविलापः — Sita’s Lament and Prophecy of Lanka’s Ruin

Devanagari script

चिताधूमाकुलपथा गृध्रमण्डलसङ्कुला।अचिरेण तु लङ्केयं श्मशानसदृशी भवेत्।।।।

Transliteration

citādhūmākulapathā gṛdhramaṇḍalasaṅkulā |

acireṇa tu laṅkeyaṃ śmaśānasadṛśī bhavet ||

Translation

Before long, this Laṅkā will have its roads choked with smoke from funeral pyres, crowded with circling vultures, and will resemble a cremation-ground.

Context

"Very soon this Lanka will be enveloped with smoke from funeral pyres and thronged with flocks of vultures moving in circles. It will be like a burial ground.

Characters & Entities

• Laṅkā
• citā (funeral pyres)
• gṛdhra (vultures)
• śmaśāna (cremation-ground)

FAQs

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

Adharma brings social ruin: a kingdom built on violence and coercion becomes a field of death when dharma reasserts itself.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā envisions the aftermath of the coming battle—Laṅkā transformed into a scene of mass cremations and scavengers.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral clarity: Sītā interprets impending destruction not as chaos, but as the inevitable result of unrighteous rule.