Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty sixth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The pining for rAma was reaching its pinnacle for sItA. Her single minded focus on rAma brought her to the aSOka grove discarding the luxurious palaces. It brought her to the middle of the ogresses as a captive. They were not only scary to look at, they were full of menacing tantrums aimed at making maithilI fall in line to the demand of rAvaNa. She would not budge even a little. For her, only rAma mattered, not even her life. With rAvaNa having prescribed a strict timeline of two months, and no signs of rAma coming for her rescue yet, she was losing hope fast. If rAma didn’t come for some reason, the only option in front of her was to end her life, but alas, she was not free to do even that. And that hurt her even more. Onwards…
Like one in deep intoxication, or one in a spell, or one whose mind is bewildered, sItA sat down on the ground, coiled up, with her head bent down, shed copious tears and reflected –
“Brought here forcibly by rAvaNa when rAma was busy hunting the disguised demon, I am a captive of the ogresses and am being tortured by them terribly. In this terrible sorrow, I have no enthusiasm left to live. Without the supremely valorous rAma, sitting in the middle of the demonesses, neither wealth nor jewels nor life hold any meaning for me. Certainly this heart of mine is either made of stone or is deathless which is why it is not coming apart at this devastating sorrow. Fie on me, the ignoble wretch who is clinging on to the life even for a while without him. Without my dear lord who lords over the earth stretching all the way to the oceans by my side, what enthusiasm will I have for my life. They may pierce my body or well gobble it up, I am not going to put up with this sorrow bereft of my dear husband; I will give up my body. Even with my left foot, I won’t touch the demon rAvaNa, then what to talk of coveting that despicable demon!
चरणेनापि सव्येन न स्पृशेयं निशाचरम्।
रावणं किं पुनरहं काममेयं विगर्हितम्।।5.26.10।।
rAvaNa is ignorant of the consequences and ignobility that await him and his clan and hence out of cruelty he is trying to coax me. They may cut me into pieces or throw me into fire, I am not going to accept rAvaNa, why do these ogresses keep goading me in vain? Out of my misfortune, the famed, discerning, grateful, compassionate and well mannered rAghava has turned merciless! Why does the one who vanquished fourteen thousand demons all by himself in the janasthAna doesn’t come to my rescue? Why does rAma, the vanquisher of the mighty virAdha in the danDaka forest doesn’t protect me? Of course, my husband is capable of destroying the demon rAvaNa who is inferior to him? This lanka may well be in the middle of the ocean and unassailable, but it won’t be so for the arrows of rAma!
कामं मध्ये समुद्रस्य लङ्केयं दुष्प्रधर्षणा।
न तु राघवबाणानां गतिरोधो भविष्यति ।।5.26.17।।
What could be that reason for which, the strong, mighty and valorous rAma is not coming to the rescue of his darling wife abducted by the demon? Could it be that rAma is not aware of my being here? Or is it that, he is condoning this abduction? The vulture king jaTAyu who saw me being abducted and was supposed to apprise rAma, after mounting a valiant effort despite being old, was felled by rAvaNa. If only rAma was aware of me being here in lanka, he would have wiped out the rAkshasa clan from the earth in anger using his arrows. He would annihilate the city of lanka and would render the worlds demon-less. Then, just as I am sulking here in distress, in every home here the demonesses would sulk having lost their husbands. No demon can escape once they fall in the sight of rAma and lakshmaNa, may they soon find out the demons of lanka and destroy them. Soon lanka would be a graveyard of burning pyres with eagles flying in the sky.
चिताधूमाकुलपथा गृध्रमण्डलसङ्कुला।
अचिरेण तु लङ्केयं श्मशानसदृशी भवेत्।।5.26.26।।
The way lanka is seeing bad omens, it will before long be shorn of its luster and be a widowed city with reversal of your fortunes. Certainly, the cries of despair of the demon damsels will be heard from every house of lanka very soon. Scorched by the arrows of rAma, the city will burn to ashes soon and be shorn of its shine. I shall attain my heart’s desire very soon. The flesh-eater vile demons are undiscerning and can’t discriminate between dharma and adharma and hence their end is near.
अकार्यं ये न जानन्ति नैर्ऋताः पापकारिणः।।5.26.35।।
अधर्मात्तु महोत्पातो भविष्यति हि सांप्रतम्।
नैते धर्मं विजानन्ति राक्षसाः पिशिताशनाः।।5.26.36।।
Alas, if only rAma was aware that I am a captive in this lanka and that the stipulated time of twelve months is coming to an end! Alas, the end is staring at me rather than at the evil rAvaNa! Surely he will have me for the morning meal. Alas, what can I do, I am miserable without the sight of my lord who causes joy to me. If only someone gave me poison now, I shall consume and at once go to see yama, the god of death.
Perhaps, rAma is unaware that I am alive, for if he had known, he would have searched for me all over the world. Or have the valiant brothers rAma and lakshmaNa renounced their weapons taken to the life of a recluse in the forest? Or has the devious rAvaNa eliminated the brothers employing deceit?
Or grieving over my loss, may be the valorous rAma gave up his body and ascended to the heaven. Blessed indeed are the gods, gandharvas, siddhas and the great sages who behold the lotus like delightful countenance of my lord rAma.
धन्या देवास्सगन्धर्वाः सिद्धाश्च परमर्षयः।।5.26.41।।
मम पश्यन्ति ये नाथं रामं राजीवलोचनम्।
Or has the sagely rAma who is steeped in dharma has lost interest in me, for being in the sights fosters love while being out of sight destroys friendship. But that can happen with ungrateful people not with rAma. Alas, the foremost and charming woman that I am seem to have run out of fortune and am sinking in grief sans rAma. Bereft of the valiant rAma, who is capable of accomplishing difficult tasks very easily and destroying enemies with ease, it is appropriate that I give up my life.
With my time having turned so bad, I only wish to give up my life. Alas, even in this misery, I cannot die. Blessed indeed are the sages who have conquered attachment and rise above likes and dislikes, for likes cause grief and dislikes cause fear and distress. Salutations to those who have conquered the duo of likes and dislikes.
Here we conclude the twenty sixth sarga of the sundara kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 5.27. trijaTA’s soothing and soothsaying dream
Previous: 5.25. Her pining for rAma peaks
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
