Shloka 16
सीताविलापः रावणनिन्दा च
Sita’s Lament and Condemnation of Ravana
न नूनं चात्मनः पथ्यं श्रेयो वा समवेक्षसे।।3.53.16।।मृत्युकाले यथा मर्त्यो विपरीतानि सेवते।
na nūnaṃ cātmanaḥ pathyaṃ śreyo vā samavekṣase ||3.53.16||
mṛtyu-kāle yathā martyo viparītāni sevate |
Assurément tu ne sais pas discerner ce qui t’est salutaire ni ce qui est bon pour toi; ainsi les mortels, quand la mort approche, s’attachent à ce qui va contre leur propre bien.
Those who wish to die, do not like anything salutary. I see the noose of death wound round your neck now.
FAQs
Adharma clouds judgment: when one chooses wrongdoing, one loses the capacity to recognize one’s true good (śreyas) and acts against self-welfare.
During the abduction, Sītā rebukes Rāvaṇa, interpreting his conduct as a sign of impending ruin—like a dying person acting irrationally.
Sītā’s discernment (viveka) and commitment to truth—she diagnoses moral blindness as the consequence of unrighteous action.