Shloka 5.28.16

सीताविलापः (Sita’s Lament and Resolve under Threat)

Devanagari script

सा जीवितं क्षिप्रमहं त्यजेयं विषेण शस्त्रेण शितेन वापि।विषस्य दाता न हि मेऽस्ति कश्चि च्छस्त्रस्य वा वेश्मनि राक्षसस्य।।5.28.16।।

Transliteration

sā jīvitaṃ kṣipram ahaṃ tyajeyaṃ viṣeṇa śastreṇa śitena vāpi |

viṣasya dātā na hi me’sti kaścid chastrasya vā veśmani rākṣasasya ||5.28.16||

Translation

I would cast off my life at once—by poison, or by a weapon, even a sharp blade. Yet in this rākṣasa’s house there is no one at all who could give me poison, or a weapon.

Context

"I will end my life at once by taking poison or else by a sharp weapon. Alas! There is none to give get me poison or a weapon at this demon's residence".

Characters & Entities

• Sita
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

How does this verse relate to Dharma and Satya in the Ramayana?

Sita’s impulse to end her life arises from unbearable coercion, yet the verse also shows her moral clarity: she does not seek compromise with adharma, and her steadfast truthfulness and fidelity remain central even in despair.

Why does Sita say there is no one to give her poison or a weapon in the rākṣasa’s house?

She is under strict captivity in the enemy’s residence, without allies or access to means of self-harm; the line underscores her helplessness and the controlled, hostile environment around her.