Shloka 6.48.10
सीताविलापः—त्रिजटासान्त्वनं च (Sita’s Lament and Trijata’s Consolation)
शङ्खेनेत्रेकरौपादौगुल्फावूरूचमेचितौ ।अनुवृत्तनखास्स्निग्धास्समाश्चाङ्गुलयोमम ।।।।
śaṅkhe netre karau pādau gulphāv ūrū ca me citau |
anuvṛttanakhāḥ snigdhāḥ samāś cāṅgulayo mama ||
My temples, eyes, hands and feet—my ankles and thighs too—are well-formed; and my fingers are smooth and even, with rounded nails.
"My temporal bones, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, thighs are even, and my fingers are fleshy and round with nails proportioned and bright."
The verse raises the tension between external ‘signs’ and lived truth: dharma ultimately rests on character and right action, not merely on auspicious physical markers or predictions.
In grief, Sītā recalls traditional signs of auspiciousness said to be present in her body, questioning how such signs can coexist with her present suffering.
Sītā’s introspective honesty—she examines her assumptions and the meaning of ‘auspiciousness’ under adversity.