Ramayana — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 25, Shloka 14

सीताविलापः

Sita’s Lament amid Rākṣasī Threats

Devanagari script

एषाल्पपुण्या कृपणा विनशिष्याम्यनाथवत्।समुद्रमध्ये नौः पूर्णा वायुवेगैरिवाहता।।5.25.14।।

Transliteration

eṣālpapuṇyā kṛpaṇā vinaśiṣyāmy anāthavat |

samudramadhye nauḥ pūrṇā vāyuvegair ivāhatā ||5.25.14||

Translation

Ta—phước mỏng, khốn cùng, như kẻ không nơi nương tựa—sẽ bị diệt vong, như chiếc thuyền chở đầy giữa biển khơi bị cuồng phong đánh dập.

Word by Word

• एषा: this (I)
• एषा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); deictic pronoun

• अल्पपुण्या: of little merit
• अल्पपुण्या: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प-पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies एषा

• कृपणा: wretched
• कृपणा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies एषा

• विनशिष्यामि: I shall perish
• विनशिष्यामि: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नश् (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• अनाथवत्: like an orphan
• अनाथवत्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Simile)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनाथ (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: Comparative indeclinable (उपमानवाचक-अव्यय), formed with -वत्

• समुद्रमध्ये: in the middle of the ocean
• समुद्रमध्ये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र-मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7th), Singular (एकवचन)

• नौः: a boat
• नौः: Upamana (उपमान/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन)

• पूर्णा: full (laden)
• पूर्णा: Upamana (उपमान/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies नौः

• वायुवेगैः: by wind-gusts
• वायुवेगैः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु-वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3rd), Plural (बहुवचन)

• इव: like
• इव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: Simile particle (उपमा-अव्यय)

• आहता: struck/driven
• आहता: Upamana (उपमान/Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-हन् (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्: क्त/PPP), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies नौः

Context

'I am a woman of low merit, a wretched woman, an orphan. I will be ruined like the loaded boat that gets hit in the midst of the ocean by the stormy wind.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• samudra (ocean)
• vāyu (wind)

FAQs

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

The verse implicitly condemns the adharma that leaves the innocent ‘anātha’ (without refuge). It also shows how suffering can distort self-perception, a caution for ethical reflection.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā, overwhelmed, voices fear of perishing in captivity, using a vivid image of a storm-battered boat at sea.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Vulnerability and truthfulness in lament: she articulates her inner state plainly, even while her earlier resolve remains the moral anchor of the episode.