Shloka 18
सीताविलापः रावणनिन्दा च
Sita’s Lament and Condemnation of Ravana
यथा चास्मिन्भयस्थाने न बिभेषि दशानन।।3.53.18।।व्यक्तं हिरण्मयान् हि त्वं सम्पश्यसि महीरुहान्।
yathā cāsmin bhaya-sthāne na bibheṣi daśānana ||3.53.18||
vyaktaṃ hiraṇmayān hi tvaṃ sampaśyasi mahīruhān |
यतोऽस्मिन्भयस्थानेऽपि त्वं न बिभेषि दशानन। तस्माद् व्यक्तं त्वं हिरण्मयान् महीरुहान् सम्पश्यसि—मृत्युसन्निकर्षसूचकान्॥
O Ravana, you see the dreadful river Vaitarani with torrents of blood flowing and frightening forest of trees with swords as leaves.
FAQs
Moral numbness to fear of wrongdoing is itself a warning: when adharma dominates, a person loses healthy restraint and moves toward self-destruction.
Sītā interprets Rāvaṇa’s fearless persistence in sin as a death-omen, expressed through the traditional sign of ‘seeing golden trees.’
Sītā’s insight and composure: she reads the ethical meaning of events and speaks with unwavering conviction.