Shloka 19
सीतावियोगे रामस्य विलापः
Rama’s Lament and Inquiry on Sita’s Disappearance
विगर्हमाणोऽनुजमार्तरूपं क्षुधा श्रमाच्चैव पिपासया च।विनिश्श्वसन् शुष्कमुखो विवर्णः प्रतिश्रयं प्राप्य समीक्ष्य शून्यम्।।।।स्वमाश्रमं सम्प्रविगाह्य वीरो विहारदेशाननुसृत्य कांश्चित्।एतत्तदित्येव निवासभूमौ प्रहृष्टरोमा व्यथितो बभूव।।।।
vigarhamāṇo 'nujam ārtarūpaṃ kṣudhā śramāc caiva pipāsayā ca |
viniśvasan śuṣkamukho vivarṇaḥ pratiśrayaṃ prāpya samīkṣya śūnyam ||
svam āśramaṃ sampravigāhya vīro vihāradeśān anusṛtya kāṃścit |
etat tad ity eva nivāsabhūmau prahṛṣṭaromā vyathito babhūva ||
Blâmant son cadet au visage accablé, le vaillant Rāma—haletant, la bouche desséchée et le teint défait par la faim, la fatigue et la soif—parvint à la demeure et la vit déserte. Il s’enfonça dans son āśrama, suivit les lieux où elle avait coutume d’aller; puis, sur la terre même de leur séjour, il reconnut: «C’est bien cela», et demeura meurtri, le poil hérissé.
O warrior Lakshmana! where is that Sita without whom I have no interest to live for a moment, who was like the daughter of a god and a sustainer of my life?
FAQs
Dharma as active responsibility: grief does not end duty—Rama immediately investigates, searches, and seeks truth (satya) through direct observation rather than assumption alone.
Rama returns to the hermitage, finds it empty of Sītā, searches the area she frequented, and realizes with dread that a calamity has occurred.
Rama’s perseverance and urgency in crisis—he acts despite physical exhaustion, showing steadfastness in the face of suffering.