Hearing those unpleasant words of Ravana, the lord of Rakshasas, Sita,
racked with sorrow on account of her husband, became terrified, like
unto a she-elephant, worsted by a lion on the skirt of a forest.
Threatened by Ravana and encircled by the Rakshasees, that timid damsel
bewailed like a girl cast off in a lonely forest. "Truly the sages say
that death in this world doth not come untimely. Or else would I have,
vicious as I am, lived for a moment, being thus sorely threatened.
Forsooth, my mind, divested of happiness and full of misery, is firm or
else why is it not broken in sunder like unto the summit of a hill
clapped by a thunderbolt. Nor am I to blame for this--I am worthy of
being killed by this demon of uncomely presence. As a Brahmana cannot
impart instructions in Vedas unto the people of other castes so I shall
not confer my mind on Ravana. If that lord of the people doth not come
within the appointed time, forsooth shall that vile lord, of the
Rakshasas, mince my limbs with his arrows like unto a surgeon cutting
off the limbs of an embryo.[339] Two months shall pass away in no time
and I shall have to suffer the pain of death, overwhelmed with sorrow as
I am, like unto a thief, confined in stocks, at the command of the
sovereign to receive death the next morning. Rama! Lakshmana! O Sumitra!
O Rama's mother! O my mothers! I am worsted in this ocean of grief, like
unto a bark, driven hither and thither by the blast, in the midst of an
ocean. Verily for me, those two powerful, lion-like sons of the king,
have been killed by (this demon) effulgent like the lightning and
assuming the semblance of a deer. Unfortunate as I am, forsooth I was
tempted then by death wearing the shape of a deer and thus foolishly
lost Rama and Lakshmana, the sons of the worshipful sire. O Rama, O thou
of truthful vows, O thou of long arms, O thou having the countenance of
a full moon! O my life! engaged as thou art in the welfare of the
people, dost thou not perceive that I am about to be killed by the
Rakshasas. Alas! this my devotedness unto my husband, my forgiveness, my
lying down on the bare earth, my observance of religious vows, my
wife-like virtues, are lost like unto service done for an ungrateful
wight. In vain are my pious rites, and in vain is my devotedness unto my
husband--since I do not behold thee, am pale and feeble in thy absence
and have given up all hopes of seeing thee. And duly satisfying thy
sire's command, and returning successfully from the forest, thou shalt
fearlessly sport with many a damsel having large eyes. (But for me) O
Rama, I was for my own destruction, devoted, soul and heart, unto thee.
Oh! fruitless is my asceticism and wifely virtue! Oh fie on me! I shall
renounce this my unfortunate life. I desire to do away speedily with my
being by means of poison or a sharp weapon. But there is no one in this
city of the Rakshasas, who bringeth me this poison or weapon." Bewailing
thus in various accents, and remembering Rama with all her heart, Sita,
having her countenance dried up, and trembling, got at the biggest tree
enveloped with flowers. And thinking thus, Sita, stricken with grief,
took up in her hand, her braid of hair and thought--"I shall soon hang
myself with this braid and reach the abode of Death. And that one of
tender person reached the tree, and holding a branch, began to think of
Rama, Lakshmana, and the glory of her race. And on her person were
perceived many auspicious marks, well-known in the world, removing
grief, fostering patience, and announcing the advent of future welfare.
[338] The sections 28 and 29 are not found in all the texts. They are
found in Bengal edition. Gorressio translates it and remarks--"I
think the chapter XXVIII--The auspicious signs--is an addition, a
later interpolation by the Rhapsodists. It has no bond of
connection either with what precedes or follows it and may be
struck out without injury." We have however thought it proper to
give a full version.--T.
[339] This passage clearly indicates that there were proficient and
skilled surgeons at the time when Ramayana was written.--T.