हनूमद्वृत्तान्तः—वानरबलप्रशंसा च
Hanuman’s Report and Praise of the Vanara Host
सा मया राक्षसीमध्ये तर्ज्यमाना मुहुर्मुहुः।राक्षसीभिर्विरूपाभिर्दृष्टा हि प्रमदावने।।।।एकवेणीधरा दीना भर्तृचिन्तापरायणा।अधश्शय्या विवर्णाङ्गी पद्मिनीव हिमागमे।।।।रावणाद्विनिवृत्तार्था मर्तव्यकृतनिश्चया।
sā mayā rākṣasīmadhye tarjyamānā muhur muhuḥ | rākṣasībhir virūpābhir dṛṣṭā hi pramadāvane || ekaveṇīdharā dīnā bhartṛcintāparāyaṇā | adhaḥśayyā vivarṇāṅgī padminīva himāgame || rāvaṇād vinivṛttārthā martavyakṛtaniścayā |
Je la vis dans le bosquet des plaisirs, entourée de rākṣasīs, menacée sans cesse par ces ogresses hideuses. Les cheveux en une seule tresse, misérable et tout entière absorbée par la pensée de son époux, elle gisait à même le sol, le corps décoloré comme un lotus en hiver. Repoussant les avances de Rāvaṇa, elle avait pris la résolution de mourir.
"I saw Sita often threatened by uglylooking ogresses. Wearing a single braid, she looked pathetic, thinking always about her husband, lying on the bare ground. She was like a lustreless lotus in winter. Spurning the advances by Ravana, she is rather determined to commit suicide.
Dharma is steadfastness under coercion: Sita’s refusal of Ravana, despite fear and suffering, embodies fidelity to truth and marital righteousness.
Hanuman recounts to Rama what he witnessed in Lanka: Sita’s harsh captivity, threats from rākṣasīs, and her unwavering rejection of Ravana.
Sita’s unwavering chastity and courage—endurance without surrender, even when despair pushes her toward thoughts of death.