||Sundarakanda ||

|| Sarga 28||(Summary in English)


||om tat sat||
सा राक्षसेंद्रस्य वचो निशम्य
तद्रावण स्या प्रिय मप्रियार्ता।
सीता वितत्रास यथा वनांते
सिंहाभिपन्ना गजराजकन्या॥1||

स॥ सा सीता राक्षसेंद्रस्य अप्रियं तत् वचः निशम्य अप्रियार्ता वनांते सिंहाभिपन्न गजराजकन्या इव वितत्रास॥

After hearing the unpleasant words spoken by the king of Rakshasas, which caused restlessness and sorrow to Sita, she was terrified like the young elephant princess caught by the lion in the forest.

Sundarakanda
Sarga 28

After hearing the unpleasant words spoken by the king of Rakshasas, which caused restlessness and sorrow to Sita, she was terrified like the young elephant princess caught by the lion in the forest.

The timid lady surrounded by Rakshasa women, threatened by Ravana's terrible words wept like a young girl in desolate forest.

Sita deeply affected by the sorrow starts thinking and says to herself.

'Elders say that untimely death will not happen. That seems to be true. Even though I am threatened like this, I am living even for a moment, is because of my lack of merits. My heart is apparently too hard and does not break into thousand pieces like the mountain hit by Vajrayutha!, though I am without happiness and filled with agony,

'Set to be killed by Ravana, if I were to die, there is no fault. Like the Brahmin who would not part with his knowledge to a non-Brahmin, I cannot surrender myself to this Ravana. If Rama, the lord of the world does not come here, the vile king of Rakshasas will cut me to pieces like the barber who cuts the fetus with a sharp knife. For me in deep sorrow, two months is a long time to wait. I am like the thief caught due to offending the king, and waiting overnight to be killed at the day break'.

'Oh Rama, Oh Lakshmana, Oh Sumitra, Oh Rama's mother, Oh my own mother. I am an ill-starred woman who is going to perish like the ship caught in whirlwind in the midst of an ocean. The two princes must have been killed by the creature in the guise of a deer on my account, like the two mighty lions are killed by the bolt of lightning. Surely it is the fate, in the guise of a deer, that tempted this unfortunate soul sending away Rama's brother and Lakshmana's elder brother.

'Oh, the one committed to truth! Oh, the long armed one! O Rama, whose face shines like a full moon! oh beloved of the world, dear to every one! You do not know that I am to be killed by the Rakshasas. In spite of being not devoted to any other god other than you, sleeping on the ground, maintaining righteous course of action, maintaining discipline, maintaining the vows of chastity my efforts are failing. It is surely like the prayers of an ungrateful person'.

'Not seeing you, deprived of your company, with no hope in reuniting, following the righteous path and devotion to you is useless. Having fulfilled the pledge to your father, having returned from the forest, free of fear, being an accomplished one you will surely revel in the company of large eyed damsels'.

'Oh Rama I loved you. I have for a long time kept my feelings of love fixed on you. I have also followed penance and all vows in vain only resulting in my doom. After practicing all vows I am giving up being luckless. Fie on me. I will end my life at once by taking poison or using sharp weapons. But in this palace of the king of Rakshasas there is no one who can give me poison or the weapons'.

In this way the pale looking Queen Sita sorrowing in many ways, and always thinking of Rama, shivering, approached the great tree in bloom. Drenched in sorrow, thinking in many ways, took hold of her long braid said to herself - 'tying myself with this braid I shall reach the Yama's abode quickly'.

Then the lady of delicate limbs, holding the branch of that Simsupa tree stood. She was thinking of Rama, his brother, her own family. Then auspicious omens which are harbingers of courage, which are dispellers of sorrow, which were proven in olden times appeared on her auspicious body.

Thus ends Sarga 28 of Sundarakanda in Ramayana the first ever poem composed by the first poet sage Valmiki

||om tat sat||
शोकानिमित्तानि तथा बहूनि
धैर्यार्जितानि प्रवराणि लोके।
प्रादुर्निमित्तानि तदा बभूवुः
पुरापि सिद्धा न्युपलक्षितानि॥20||
स॥ (शुभांग्याः तस्याः तु) शोकानिमित्तानि धैर्यार्जितानि लोके प्रवराणि तथा पुरापि सिद्धानि उपलक्षितानि बहूनि निमित्तानि प्रादुर्भभूवुः॥
Then auspicious omens which are harbingers of courage, which are dispellers of sorrow, which were proven in olden times appeared on her auspicious body
||om tat sat||