Shloka 22

अशोकवनिकायां सीतादर्शनम्

Sita Seen in the Ashoka Grove

Devanagari script

व्रीडितां दुःखसन्तप्तां परिम्लानां तपस्विनीम्।ग्रहेणाङ्गारकेणेव पीडितामिव रोहिणीम्।।।।

Transliteration

vrīḍitāṃ duḥkhasantaptāṃ parimlānāṃ tapasvinīm |

graheṇāṅgārakeṇeva pīḍitām iva rohiṇīm ||

Translation

وہ شرمگیں تھی، غم کی تپش سے جھلس رہی تھی، اور مرجھائی ہوئی دکھائی دیتی تھی—گویا کوئی تپسویہ۔ وہ یوں لگتی تھی جیسے روہِنی، انگارک (مریخ) کے گرہ کے دباؤ میں ستائی ہوئی ہو۔

Word by Word

• vrīḍitām: bashful/ashamed
• vrīḍitām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vrīḍita (कृदन्त; √vrīḍ)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana; kta participle

• duḥkha-santaptām: tormented by grief
• duḥkha-santaptām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + santapta (कृदन्त; √tap + sam)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: "tormented by sorrow"

• parimlānām: withered/faded
• parimlānām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parimlāna (कृदन्त; √mlā + pari)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana; kta participle

• tapasvinīm: ascetic woman/helpless lady
• tapasvinīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapasvinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana

• graheṇa: by a planet
• graheṇa: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, ekavacana

• aṅgārakeṇa: by Mars (Aṅgāraka)
• aṅgārakeṇa: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅgāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, ekavacana

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle) for emphasis/comparison

• pīḍitām: afflicted
• pīḍitām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīḍita (कृदन्त; √pīḍ)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana; kta participle

• iva: like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; upamā-marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Upamā-vācaka avyaya

• rohiṇīm: Rohiṇī (star)
• rohiṇīm: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rohiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, ekavacana

Context

She was bashful, tormented with agony, dejected with a withered look. She appeared like the star Rohini oppressed by planet Mars.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rohiṇī
• Aṅgāraka (Mars)

FAQs

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

The verse highlights dharma as disciplined endurance: Sītā’s suffering is portrayed not as collapse but as tapas-like steadfastness grounded in truth and fidelity.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān continues to assess Sītā’s state in captivity, using a cosmic simile to convey how overpowering her affliction appears.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Modesty (vrīḍā) and austerity (tapas): her demeanor remains dignified even under oppression.