Shloka 6.81.9
इन्द्रजितो मायासीतावधः — Indrajit’s Illusory Sita Episode and Hanuman’s Rebuke
स ददर्शहतानन्दांसीतामिन्द्रजितोरथे ।एकवेणीधरांदीनामुपवासकृशाननाम् ।।।।परिक्लिष्टैकवसनाममृजांराघवप्रियाम् ।रजोमलाभ्यामालिप्तैस्सर्वगात्रैर्वरस्त्रियम् ।।।।
sa dadarśa hatānandāṃ sītām indrajito rathe |
ekaveṇīdharāṃ dīnāṃ upavāsakṛśānanām ||
parikliṣṭaikavasanām amṛjāṃ rāghavapriyām |
rajomalābhyām āliptaiḥ sarvagātrair varastriyam ||
He saw Sītā upon Indrajit’s chariot—joyless, her hair in a single braid, pitiable, her face made thin by fasting; clad in one worn garment, as though bereft of the will to live; Rāghava’s beloved, a noble lady, her whole body smeared with dust and grime, left unadorned.
Hanuman beheld in the chariot of Indrajith, cheerless Sita with one braid, with no desire to live, emaciated by fasting, wearing a single cloth, body not anointed, covered with dust and dirt all over the body, who was dear to Raghava.
The verse evokes compassion and the duty to protect the vulnerable; it also highlights how adharma weaponizes false appearances to shake faith in satya and righteousness.
Hanumān beholds the figure presented as Sītā on Indrajit’s chariot—an image crafted to demoralize Rāma’s allies.
Sītā’s tapas-like endurance (austerity, fasting, steadfastness) is foregrounded, even as it is exploited as a symbol in Indrajit’s deception.