Shloka 6.119.18

सीताया अग्निप्रवेशः (Sita’s Ordeal by Fire / Agni-Pariksha)

Devanagari script

चितांमेकुरुसौमित्रेव्यवनस्यास्यभेषजम् ।मिध्यापवादोपहतानाहंजीवितुमुत्सहे ।।।।

Transliteration

citāṁ me kuru saumitre vyasanasya 'sya bheṣajam |

mithyāpavādopahatā nāhaṁ jīvitum utsahe ||

Translation

O Saumitri, prepare a funeral pyre for me—the only remedy for this calamity. Struck by false accusations, I do not wish to go on living.

Context

"Saumithri! Cure for this sorrow is only pyre. Arrange for pyre as I do not desire to live with false reproaches."

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Lakṣmaṇa
• Pyre (citā)

FAQs

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

Dharma as preservation of truth and honor: Sītā frames death (or ordeal) as preferable to living under falsehood, making satya the axis of moral choice.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā instructs Lakṣmaṇa to prepare the pyre, initiating the sequence leading to the fire-ordeal.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s uncompromising integrity: she refuses a life overshadowed by slander and seeks a definitive resolution.