Shloka 246
Dyumatsena’s Restoration and Sāvitrī’s Disclosure of Yama’s Boons (आरण्यकपर्व, अध्याय २८२)
शिरोधरां च तन्वज्जी मुखं प्रच्छाद्य वाससा । ऐसा कहकर तन्वंगी सीता अपनी गर्दन और मुखको कपड़ेसे ढककर फूट-फ़ूटकर रोने लगीं। उस समय छाती धड़कनेके कारण उनके स्तन काँप रहे थे
śirodharāṃ ca tanv-aṅgī mukhaṃ pracchādya vāsasā |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “And the slender-limbed lady covered her neck and face with her garment.” In the narrative context, this gesture signals modesty and overwhelming grief—an inward turning of the mind under the weight of sorrow, where speech gives way to tears and self-restraint.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of inner restraint and modesty in distress: grief is acknowledged, yet expressed in a way that preserves dignity and self-control, emphasizing the ethical value of composure amid suffering.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, Sītā—overcome with emotion—covers her neck and face with her garment, a physical sign of shame, sorrow, and withdrawal, immediately preceding or accompanying intense weeping.