Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 32, Shloka 9
सीताविलापः
Sītā’s Lament over the Illusory Head and Bow
प्रथमंमरणंनार्याभर्तुर्वैगुण्यमुच्यते ।सुवृत्त: स्साधुवृत्तायास्सम्वृत्तस्त्वंममाग्रतः ।।6.32.9।।
prathamaṃ maraṇaṃ nāryā bhartur vaiguṇyam ucyate |
suvṛttaḥ sādhuvṛttāyāḥ saṃvṛttas tvaṃ mamāgrataḥ ||6.32.9||
கணவனின் மரணம் முதலில் மனைவியின் குற்றத்தினால் எனச் சொல்லப்படுகின்றது; ஆனால் நான் நல்லொழுக்கமுடையவளாக இருந்தும், நீ—நல்லொழுக்கமும் தர்மநிலையும் உடையவன்—என் முன்னே வீழ்ந்தாய்.
"O Rama, you are faithful to your vows, a noble one! It is said that because of a woman's faults, the husband will die. It is not even so as you died in front of a virtuous woman of good conduct."
FAQs
It probes moral causality and responsibility: Sītā challenges a conventional attribution of blame to the wife, asserting her own satya (truthful integrity) and lamenting the apparent injustice.
In grief, Sītā reflects on a proverbial belief that a wife’s fault causes the husband’s death, then rejects its applicability to her situation.
Sītā’s self-scrutiny and commitment to truth (satya), alongside her claim of steadfast good conduct.