ततः then, तस्मिन् काले एव at that time, राजपुत्री princess, अनिन्दिता blameless, वरारोहा of beautiful waist, वैदेही Vaidehi, रूपयौवनसम्पन्नम् endowed with beauty and youth, भूषणोत्तमभूषितम् adorned with best of ornaments, राक्षसाधिपम् lord of demons, रावणम् Ravana, दृष्ट्वैव just by seeing him, प्रवाते strong wind, कदली यथा like the banana plant, प्रावेपत was shaken.
Meaning
On just seeing Ravana, the lord of demons from a distance, adorned with the best of ornaments the charming, young, blameles princess Vaidehi of beautiful waist trembled like a banana plant shaken by a strong wind.
ācchādyodaramūrubhyāṃ bāhubhyāṃ ca payodharau| upaviṣṭā viśālākṣī rudantī varavarṇinī||5.19.3||
Translation
विशालाक्षी largeeyed one, वरवर्णिनी a woman of fair complexion, ऊरुभ्याम् with thighs, उदरम् her belly, बाहुभ्याम् with both arms, पयोधरौ her breasts, आच्छाद्य after covering, रुदन्ती while crying, उपविष्टा was seated.
Meaning
Largeeyed, faircomplexioned Sita seated there with her belly, thighs and breasts covered with arms cried.
दशग्रीवस्तु even the tennecked Ravana on his part, राक्षसीगणैः by groups of shedemons, रक्षिताम् protected by, वैदेहीम् Vaidehi, दुःखार्ताम् tormented with grief, अर्णवे in the ocean, सन्नाम् drowned, नावमिव boat like, सीताम् Sita, ददर्श saw.
Meaning
The tennecked Ravana, too, on his part saw Sita, tormented with grief, guarded by the shedemons like a boat sunk in the sea.
असंवृताम् on a bare, धरण्याम् on the ground, आसीनाम् seated, संशितव्रताम् one who is woeful, छिन्नाम् broken, भूमौ on the ground, प्रपतिताम् fallen, वनस्पतेः of a tree, शाखामिव like a branch.
Meaning
She looked woeful seated on the bare earth like the broken branch of a tree cut and fallen down on the ground.
malamaṇḍanacitrāṅgīṃ maṇḍanārhāmamaṇḍitām| mṛṇālī paṅkadigdheva vibhāti na vibhāti ca||5.19.6||
Translation
मलमण्डनचित्राङ्गीम् covered with colourful dust, मण्डनार्हाम् deserved adornment, अमण्डिताम् without any ornament, पङ्कदिग्धा dipped in mud, मृणालीव a lotus stem, विभाति shining न विभाति च and not shining.
Meaning
Her body looked colourful with dust. Although she deserved adornment, she had none. She was like a lotus stem in mud looking bright yet dull (with mud).
सङ्कल्पहयसंयुक्सैः yoked to horses of her determination, मनोरथैः with the chariot of her mind, विदितात्मनः bestowed with selfknowledge, राजसिंहस्य of the supreme king, रामस्य Rama's, समीपम् to the presence, गच्छन्तीमिव as though she was moving.
Meaning
She was as though moving towards the knower of the self, the supreme king, Rama with the horses of her resolution yoked to the chariot of her mind.
तथा in that way, आविष्टाम् sitting, वेष्टमानाम् coiled around, पन्नगेन्द्रवधूमिव like the queen of serpents, धूमकेतुना by comet, ग्रहेण by the planet, धूप्यमानाम् smoking, रोहिणीमिव like Rohini.
Meaning
Sitting in that manner she resembled a coiled serpent queen, the star Rohini overshadowed by a smoking comet (that is Ravana).
vṛttaśīlakule jātāmācāravati dhārmike| punḥsṃskāramāpannāṃ jātāmiva ca duṣkule||5.19.10||
Translation
धार्मिके in a righteous, आचारवति in a traditional, वृत्तशीलकुले in a traditional virtuous family, जाताम् born, संस्कारम् refinement, आपन्नाम् attained, दुष्कुले in a bad afmily, पुनः again, जातामिव च as though born into.
Meaning
Though born in a traditional righteous and virtuous family, she was as though passing through a purificatory process like a lowbred woman.
अभूतेन by false, अपवादेन scandals, निपतिताम् lowered, कीर्तिमिव like fame, आम्नायानाम् of the Vedic studies, अयोगेन by not applying, प्रशिथिलाम् let loose, विद्यामिव like education.
Meaning
She resembled reputation besmirched by scandals, like Vedic studies slackened by lack of aplication. (Knowledge is verified with a suitable statment of the Veda which is the ultimate test of ones finding. This method is adopted in all Astika sastras which accept the authority of the Veda).
सन्नाम् grown dim, महाकीर्तिमिव like great fame, विमानिताम् slighted, श्रद्धामिव like faith, परिक्षीणाम् meddled with, पूजामिव like worship, प्रतिहताम् frustrated, आशामिव like hope.
Meaning
She was like great fame grown dim, faith slighted, worship meddled and hope frustrated. (Note: Sita's condition is being compared with abstract concepts such as fame, faith, reverence and hope which are hit by reverses in fate. She was the personification of all such suffering.)
विध्वस्ताम् blasted, आयतीमिव like the prospect, प्रतिहताम् flouted, आज्ञामिव like the command, काले at the time of catastrophe, दीप्ताम् glowing, दिशमिव like the direction, अपहृताम् abducted, पूजामिव like worship
Meaning
She was like a prospect blasted, command flouted, entire direction set on flames at the time of catastrophe and articles of worship abducted by evil forces at the sacrificial ceremony.
विध्वस्ताम् blighted, पद्मिनीमिव like lotus creeper, हतशूराम् whose gallant warriors are killed, चमूमिव like the army, तमोध्वस्ताम् by darkness shadowed, प्रभामिव like radiance, उपक्षीणाम् dried, आपगामिव like the stream.
Meaning
She was like a lotuscreeper blighted, an army with its gallant warriors killed, radiance of light blocked by darkness and a stream run dry.
परामृष्टाम् defiled, वेदीमिव like the altar of worship, शान्ताम् extinguished, अग्निशिखामिव like the blazing flames, राहुग्रस्तेन्दुमण्डलाम् like the fullmoon eclipsed by Rahu, पैर्णमासीम् fullmoon, निशामिव like the night.
Meaning
(She was) like the altar of worship defiled, blazing fire extinguished, and the Moon eclipsed by Rahu in the full moon night.
हस्तिहस्तपरामृष्टाम् destroyed by the trunks of elephants, उत्कृष्टपर्णकमलाम् lotus pond with excellent leaves, वित्रासितविहङ्गमाम् with frightened birds, आकुलाम् crushed, पद्मिनीमिव like the lotus creeper.
Meaning
(She appeared) like a lotuspond the excellent leaves of whose lotuses surrounded by frightened birds are destroyed by the trunks of elephants.
पतिशोकातुराम् stricken with grief caused by separation from her husband, विस्राविताम् with its water grown thin, शुष्काम् dried, नदीमिव like the river, परया with great, मृजया ablution, हीनाम् deprived, कृष्णपक्षनिशामिव like the night during the dark fortnight.
Meaning
Stricken with grief caused by separation from her husband, she appeared like a river gone thin and dry, not fit for ablution, like a night during dark fortnight of the month deprived of all its glow.
सुकुमारीम् delicate, सुजाताङ्गीम् a lady with beautiful limbs, रत्नगर्भगृहोचिताम् who deserves to be in a gemcrusted house, तप्यमानाम् being scorched, अचिरोद्धृताम् just plucked out, मृणालीमिव like the lotus stem.
Meaning
A delicate lady with beautiful limbs who deserved to be in a gemcrusted house was (now) like a lotus stem just plucked out and scorched by the Sun's heat.
गृहीताम् held, स्तम्भे to a pillar, आलिताम् tied, यूथपेन विना कृताम् separated from her lord, the leader of the herd, निःश्वन्तीम् sighing heavily, सुदुःखार्ताम् with intense grief, गजराजवधूमिव like a royal female elephant.
Meaning
She was sighing heavily in intense grief like a royal female elephant tied to a pillar and separated from her lord, the leader of the herd.
दीर्घया with a long, एकया even with a single, वेण्या braid of hair, अयत्नतः carelessly, शोभमानाम् beautifullooking, नीरदापाये at the end of rain, नीलया with dark, वनराज्या with a row of trees, महीमिव like the land.
Meaning
She was lovely even with a single braid of unkempt hair like the earth with a single row of dark trees covering its surface at the end of the rainy season.
upavāsena śokena dhyānena ca bhayena ca| parikṣīṇāṃ kṛśāṃ dīnāmalpāhārāṃ tapodhanām||5.19.21||
Translation
उपवासेन by fasting, शोकेन due to grief, ध्यानेन due to brooding, भयेन च and threatenings, परिक्षीणां a wasted, कृशाम् emaciated, दीनाम depressed, अल्पाहाराम् ate little, तपोधनाम् rich by austerities.
Meaning
She was wasted and emaciated through fasting and grief, depressed due to brooding and threatenings. She ate very little but was rich with austerities.
देवतामिव like a goddess, दुःखार्ताम् tormented with grief, भावेन mentally, रघुमुख्यस्य to the foremost of the Raghu family, Rama, दशग्रीवपराभवम् insult by Ravana, प्राञ्जलिं with folded hands, आयाचमानाम् seemed as though supplicating.
Meaning
Tormented with grief, Sita looked like a goddess begging Rama, the foremost of the Raghu family with folded hands in her mind to destroy Ravana, the tennecked demon.
समीक्षमाणाम् a lady casting glances, रुदतीम् crying, अनिन्दिताम् blameless, सुपक्ष्मताम्रायतशुक्ललोचनाम् with attractive eyelashes and broad bright eyes, अतीव very much, रामम् about Rama, अनुव्रताम् devoted, मैथिलीम् Mythili, रावणः Ravana, वधाय to kill, प्रलोभयामास tried to allure.
Meaning
Blameless Mythili with clear, large eyes and beautiful eyelashes with a reddish tint at the corners was looking around, crying. Ravana tried to allure Sita who was deeply faithful to Rama and threatened to kill her (when he found her unflinching). इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये सुन्दरकाण्डे एकोनविंशस्सर्गः। Thus ends the nineteenth sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.