Shloka 23
षष्टितमः सर्गः — Kausalyā’s Lament and Sumantra’s Consolation
Sītā’s Fearless Forest-Life
तथापि सूतेन सुयुक्तवादिना निवार्यमाणा सुतशोककर्शिता।न चैव देवी विरराम कूजितात्प्रियेति पुत्रेति च राघवेति च।।।।
tathāpi sūtena suyuktavādinā nivāryamāṇā sutaśokakarśitā |
na caiva devī virarāma kūjitāt priye iti putre iti ca rāghave iti ca ||
എങ്കിലും യുക്തമായി സംസാരിച്ച സാരഥി തടഞ്ഞിട്ടും, പുത്രശോകം കൊണ്ട് ക്ഷീണിച്ച രാജ്ഞിദേവി ‘പ്രിയേ!’ ‘പുത്രാ!’ ‘ഹേ രാഘവാ!’ എന്നു വിളിച്ചുകരയുന്നത് നിർത്തിയില്ല।
Selfcontrolled Lakshmana, aware of his duty, serves Rama in the forest. By this he is securing his next world.
FAQs
It acknowledges truthful human emotion within dharmic life: even when dharma is explained and upheld, grief remains real; compassion requires recognizing suffering, not merely arguing against it.
Despite Sumantra’s reasoned consolation, Kausalya continues lamenting aloud, repeatedly calling to Rama with intimate forms of address.
Kausalya’s sincerity and depth of love—her lament is not weakness alone but the authentic voice of maternal attachment.