सा राक्षसेन्द्रस्य वचो निशम्य तद् रावणस्य प्रियमप्रियार्ता। सीता वितत्रास यथा वनान्ते सिंहाभिपन्ना गजराजकन्या॥
Hearing those unpleasant words of Rāvana, the lord of Rāksasas, Sītā, racked with sorrow on account of her husband, became terrified, like to a she-elephant, worsted by a lion on the skirt of a forest.
वाग्भि शं रावणतर्जिता च। कान्तारमध्ये विजने विसृष्टा बालेव कन्या विललाप सीता॥
Threatened by Rāvana and encircled by the Rākşasīs, that timid damsel bewailed like a girl cast off in a lonely forest.
सत्यं बतेदं प्रवदन्ति लोके नाकालमृत्युर्भवतीति सन्तः। यत्राहमेवं परिभर्व्यमाना जीवामि यस्मात् क्षणमप्यपुण्या॥
Truly the sages say that death in this world dose not come untimely. Or else would I have, vicious as I am, lived for a moment, being thus sorely threatened.
मिदं तु नूनं हृदयं स्थिरं मे। विदीर्यते यन्न सहस्रधाद्य वज्राहतं शृङ्गमिवाचलस्य॥
Forsooth, my mind, divested of happiness and full of misery, is firin or else why is it not broken in sunder like to the summit of a hill clapped by a thunderbolt.
नैषास्ति नूनं मम दोषमत्र वध्याहमस्याप्रियदर्शनस्य। मलं द्विजो मन्त्रमिवाद्विजाय ॥
Nor am I to blame for this. I am worthy of being killed by this demon of uncomely presence. As a Brāhmaṇa cannot impart instructions in Vedas to the people of other castes so I shall not confer my mind on Rāvana.
तस्मिन्ननागच्छति लोकनाथे गर्भस्थजन्तोरिव शल्यकृन्तः। नूनं ममाङ्गान्यचिरादनार्य शस्त्रैः शितैच्छेत्स्यति राक्षसेन्द्रः॥
If that lord of the people dose not come within the appointed time, forsooth shall that vile lord, of the Rākşasas, mince my limbs with his arrows like to a surgeon cutting off the limbs of an embryo. (This passage clearly indicates that there were proficient and skilled surgeons at the time when Rāmāyaṇa was written.)
दुःखं बतेदं ननु दुःखिताया मासौ चिरायाभिगमिष्यतो द्वौ। बद्धस्य वध्यस्य यथा निशान्ते राजोपरोधादिव तस्करस्य॥
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 to a thief, confined in stocks, at the command of the sovereign to receive death the next morning.
हा राम हा लक्ष्मण हा सुमित्रे हा राममातः सह मे जनन्यः। मृगरूपधारी एषा विपद्याम्यहमल्पभाग्या महार्णवे नौरिव मूढवाता॥
O Rama! O Laksmana! O Sumitra! O Rama's mother! O my mothers! I am worsted in this ocean of grief, like to a bark, driven hither and thither by the blast, in the midst of an ocean.
तरस्विनौ धारयता मृगस्य सत्त्वेन रूपं मनुजेन्द्रपुत्रौ। नूनं विशस्तौ मम कारणात् तौ सिंहर्षभौ द्वाविव वैद्युतेन॥
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.
नूनं स कालो मामल्पभाग्यां लुलुभे तदानीम्। यत्रार्यपुत्रौ विससर्ज मूढा रामानुजं लक्ष्मणपूर्वजं च ॥
Unfortunate as I am, forsooth I was tempted then by death wearing the shape of a deer and thus foolishly lost Rāma and Lakşmana, the sons of the worshipful sire.
हा राम सत्यव्रत दीर्घबाहो हा पूर्णचन्द्रप्रतिमानवक्त्र। हा जीवलोकस्य हितः प्रियश्च वध्यां न मां वेत्सि हि राक्षसानाम्॥
O Rāma, O you of truthful vows, O you of long arms, O you having the countenance of a full moon! O my life! engaged as you are in the welfare of the people, do you not perceive that I am about to be killed by the Rākşasas.
अनन्यदेवत्वमियं क्षमा च भूमौ च शय्या नियमश्च धर्मे। पतिव्रतात्वं विफलं ममेदं कृतं कृतघ्नेष्विव मानुषाणाम्॥
Alas! this my devotedness to my husband, my forgiveness, my lying down on the bare earth, my observance of religious vows, my wife-like virtues, are lost like to service done for an ungrateful wight.
मोघं हि धर्मश्चरितो ममायं तथैकपत्नीत्वमिदं निरर्थकम्। या त्वां न पश्यामि कृशा विवर्णा हीना त्वया सङ्गमने निराशा॥
In vain are my pious rites, and in vain is my devotedness to my husband since I do not behold you, am pale and feeble in your absence and have given up all hopes of seeing you.
पितुर्निदेशं नियमेन कृत्वा वनान्निवृत्तश्चरितव्रतश्च। स्त्रीभिस्तु मन्ये विपुलेक्षणाभिः संरंस्यसे वीतभयः कृतार्थः॥
And duly satisfying your sire's command, and returning successfully from the forest, you shall fearlessly sport with many a damsel having large eyes.
अहं तु राम त्वयि जातकामा चिरं विनाशाय निबद्धभावा। मोघं चरित्वाथ तपो व्रतं च त्यक्ष्यामि धिग्जीवितमल्पभोग्याम्॥
(But for me) O Rama, I was for my own destruction, devoted, soul and heart, to you. Oh! fruitless is my asceticism and wifely virtue! Oh fie on me! I shall renounce this my unfortunate life.
संजीवितं क्षिप्रमहं त्यजेयं विषेण शस्त्रेण शितेन वापि। च्छस्त्रस्य वा वेश्मनि राक्षसस्य॥
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 Rākşasas, who bring me this poison or weapon.
[इतीव देवी बहुधा विलप्य सर्वात्मना राममनुस्मरन्ती। प्रवेपमाना परिशुष्कवक्त्रा नगोत्तमं पुष्पितमाससाद ।। शोकाभितप्ता बहुधा विचिन्त्य सीताऽथ वेणीग्रथनं गृहीत्वा। महं गमिष्यामि यमस्य मूलम्॥
Bewailing thus in various accents, and remembering Rāma with all her heart, Sītā, having her countenance dried up, and trembling, got at the biggest tree enveloped with flowers. And thinking thus, Sītā, 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."
उपस्थिता सा मृदुसर्वगात्री शाखां गृहीत्वा च नगस्य तस्य। तस्यास्तु रामं परिचिन्तयन्त्या रामानुजं स्वं च कुलं शुभाङ्गयाः॥ तस्या विशोकानि तदा बहूनि धैर्यार्जितानि प्रवराणि लोके। प्रादुर्निमित्तानि तदा बभूवुः पुरापि सिद्धान्युपलक्षितानि॥
And that one of tender person reached the tree, and holding a branch, began to think of Rama, Laksmana, 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.