Shloka 13
सीताविलापः
Sita’s Lament and Resolve under Threat
मोघो हि धर्मश्चरितो मयायंतथैकपत्नीत्वामिदं निरर्थम्।या त्वां न पश्यामि कृशा विवर्णा हीना त्वया सङ्गमने निराशा।।5.28.13।।
mogho hi dharmaś carito mayāyaṃ tathaikapatnītvam idaṃ nirartham |
yā tvāṃ na paśyāmi kṛśā vivarṇā hīnā tvayā saṅgamane nirāśā ||5.28.13||
സത്യമായി, ഞാൻ അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച ധർമ്മം വ്യർത്ഥമായി; അതുപോലെ ഏകപത്നീവ്രതവും അർത്ഥശൂന്യമായി—കാരണം ഞാൻ നിന്നെ കാണുന്നില്ല. നിന്റെ വിരഹത്തിൽ ഞാൻ ക്ഷീണിച്ച് വർണ്ണം മങ്ങി, സംഗമാശ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട് നിരാശയായി.
"This righteousnes practised by me is in vain like my devotion to you, as I am unable to see you. I am a separated, emaciated, pale with no hope of reuniting with you.
FAQs
In the intensity of separation (viraha), Sita laments that righteous conduct and her vow of exclusive devotion feel purposeless if they do not lead to the truthful end of dharma—reunion with Rama and restoration of marital order.
Sita’s words express the ethical tension between inner truth (her lived suffering and honesty about despair) and dharma (steadfast virtue). The Ramayana presents this as a test of righteousness: even when outcomes seem delayed, dharma is to be upheld, and truth is spoken without deception.