Shloka 26

सीताविलापः

Sita’s Lament and Prophecy of Lanka’s Ruin

Devanagari script

चिताधूमाकुलपथा गृध्रमण्डलसङ्कुला।अचिरेण तु लङ्केयं श्मशानसदृशी भवेत्।।।।

Transliteration

citādhūmākulapathā gṛdhramaṇḍalasaṅkulā |

acireṇa tu laṅkeyaṃ śmaśānasadṛśī bhavet ||

Translation

不久之后，这楞迦的道路将被火葬柴堆之烟所充塞，群鸢盘旋其上，宛如一处焚尸之地。

Word by Word

• चिताधूमाकुलपथा: whose streets are filled with funeral-pyre smoke
• चिताधूमाकुलपथा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिताधूम + आकुल + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः बहुव्रीहि (चिताधूमेन आकुलाः पथाः यस्याः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies लङ्का

• गृध्रमण्डलसङ्कुला: thronged with circles/flocks of vultures
• गृध्रमण्डलसङ्कुला: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृध्र + मण्डल + सङ्कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः बहुव्रीहि (गृध्रमण्डलैः सङ्कुला), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies लङ्का

• अचिरेण: soon, in no time
• अचिरेण: Kala (काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/काल-परिमाण), एकवचन; adverbial ‘in a short time’

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adversative particle

• लङ्का: Lanka
• लङ्का: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लङ्का (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्मशानसदृशी: like a cremation-ground
• श्मशानसदृशी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्मशान + सदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुष (श्मशानस्य सदृशी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicate adjective of लङ्का

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Context

"Very soon this Lanka will be enveloped with smoke from funeral pyres and thronged with flocks of vultures moving in circles. It will be like a burial ground.

Characters & Entities

• Laṅkā
• citā (funeral pyres)
• gṛdhra (vultures)

FAQs

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

Adharma brings social ruin: a kingdom built on violence and coercion becomes a field of death when dharma reasserts itself.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā envisions the aftermath of the coming battle—Laṅkā transformed into a scene of mass cremations and scavengers.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral clarity: Sītā interprets impending destruction not as chaos, but as the inevitable result of unrighteous rule.