Shloka 19
सीताहनूमद्भाषणम्
Sita Tests the Messenger; Hanuman Offers Reassurance
गुणान्रामस्य कथय प्रियस्य मम वानर।।।।चित्तं हरसि मे सौम्य नदीकूलं यथा रयः।
guṇān rāmasya kathaya priyasya mama vānara | cittaṃ harasi me saumya nadīkūlaṃ yathā rayaḥ ||
ഹേ വാനരാ! എന്റെ പ്രിയനായ രാമന്റെ ഗുണങ്ങൾ പറയുക. ഹേ സൗമ്യാ! നദിയുടെ പ്രവാഹം തീരം കവർന്നുകൊണ്ടുപോകുന്നതുപോലെ നീ എന്റെ ചിത്തം കവർന്നെടുക്കുന്നു.
"O vanara! Rama's virtues are dear to me to hear. O gentle one! just as the current of the river wears away its banks, my mind is lured by your presence.
FAQs
Dharma is the uplifting power of guṇa-kathana (recounting virtues): remembering the righteous qualities of Rāma steadies Sītā and directs the mind toward truth and hope.
Having opened to the possibility of good news, Sītā asks Hanumān to describe Rāma’s virtues; his words and presence begin to pull her mind away from despair.
Sītā’s steadfast love and moral clarity: she seeks Rāma’s guṇas, not mere comfort, showing her orientation to dharma-centered remembrance.