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Valmiki Ramayana - Sundara Kanda in Prose

Sarga 25

Seetha calls out Rama and others and bursts into a wail not being able to endure the threats of ogre women.

 

As those ogre woman with a cruel nature were speaking a lot harshly and horribly, Seetha cried. Thus being spoken to by ogre women, Seetha with a good mind being frightened a lot spoke as follows with a voice indistinct due to tears.

"A human woman is not suited to become a wife of an ogre. All of you eat me according to your desire. I will not do according to your words."

Being in the middle of ogre women, being frightened by Ravana also, like a daughter of gods, that Seetha did not get comfort being tormented by grief. Like a fawn in a forest lost from its herd and tormented by wolves, Seetha was as though sinking into own body and shook a lot. That Seetha with a broken heart due to grief, held a wide flowering branch of Ashoka tree and thought about Her husband.

Then that Seetha washing Her wide breasts with a flow of tears from eyes and thinking, did not get end of sorrow. That Seetha was shaking like a plantain tree fallen down in an exceedingly windy place, trembling with fear of the ogre women, and became with a pale face.

That moving plait, which was wide and long, of that best woman was seen to be like a serpent in motion. That Seetha tormented by grief, with a mind hit by sorrow, struck by calamity was sighing and let down tears and also cried.

Seetha being tormented by grief said : "Oh! Rama!" and again "Oh! Lakshmana!","Oh! Kausalya!, my mother-in-law" "Oh! Sumitra! I thus being tormented by cruel ogre women here lacking Rama, being tormented by grief, when I am living even for a moment,' death at wrong time to woman or to a man is hard' - thus being said this popular saying in the world is true. This me with small merit, wretched, like an orphan, will perish like a ship in the middle of the ocean being hit by the speed of wind. Not seeing my husband that Rama and obtaining control of ogre women like a bank hit by water I am verily perishing with sorrow."

"Only fortunate see that my husband with eyes like petals of an expanded lotus, walking with the gait of a lion, correct in conduct and a pleasant talker. To me lacking that Rama with a famous soul, like after eating a pungent poison life in all ways is hard. By what this horrible and very dreadful grief is obtained by me, what kind of great sin had been done by me in another life. Together with great grief, I desire to give away my life. This desire is not obtainable by me. I am well protected by ogre women. Fie upon human condition! Fie upon being in the control of others. By what reason it is not possible according to own desire to give up life."

 

Thus completes 25th Chapter of Sundara Kanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, the work of a sage and the oldest epic.

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© July 2005, Kishore Kopalle