Shloka 24

सीताविलापः

Sita’s Lament and Prophecy of Lanka’s Ruin

Devanagari script

ततो निहतनाथानां राक्षसीनां गृहे गृहे।यथाहमेवं रुदती तथा भूयो न संशयः।।।।

Transliteration

tato nihatanāthānāṃ rākṣasīnāṃ gṛhe gṛhe |

yathāham evaṃ rudatī tathā bhūyo na saṃśayaḥ ||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ തങ്ങളുടെ നാഥന്മാരെ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട രാക്ഷസികൾ വീടുവീടായി, ഞാൻ കരയുന്നതുപോലെ തന്നെ വിലപിക്കും; ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

निहतनाथानाम्of those whose lords are slain

राक्षसीनाम्of the ogresses

गृहेin a house

गृहेin (each) house

यथाas, just as

अहम्I

एवम्thus, in this manner

रुदतीcrying

तथाso, likewise

भूयःagain, further

नnot, no

संशयःdoubt

Context

"Like me weeping, the cry of ogresses with lost husbands will be heard in every house in Lanka. There is no doubt.

Characters & Entities

Sītā

rākṣasī (ogresses)

Laṅkā (implied)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Adharma (Rāvaṇa’s violent abduction and coercion) inevitably yields collective suffering; Sītā asserts moral causality—wrongdoing brings grief even to the wrongdoer’s own household.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā, held captive in Laṅkā, laments and simultaneously foresees the coming devastation of the rākṣasas and the mourning of their women.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s steadfastness and truth-speaking resolve: despite captivity, she speaks with certainty about the righteous outcome.