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.

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.

Largeeyed, faircomplexioned Sita seated there with her belly, thighs and breasts covered with arms cried.

The tennecked Ravana, too, on his part saw Sita, tormented with grief, guarded by the shedemons like a boat sunk in the sea.

She looked woeful seated on the bare earth like the broken branch of a tree cut and fallen down on the ground.

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).

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.

She was emaciated, absorbed in thought of Rama alone and crying and unable to find the end to her grief.

Sitting in that manner she resembled a coiled serpent queen, the star Rohini overshadowed by a smoking comet (that is Ravana).

Though born in a traditional righteous and virtuous family, she was as though passing through a purificatory process like a lowbred woman.

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).

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.)

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.

She was like a lotuscreeper blighted, an army with its gallant warriors killed, radiance of light blocked by darkness and a stream run dry.

(She was) like the altar of worship defiled, blazing fire extinguished, and the Moon eclipsed by Rahu in the full moon night.

(She appeared) like a lotuspond the excellent leaves of whose lotuses surrounded by frightened birds are destroyed by the trunks of elephants.

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.

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.

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.

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.

She was wasted and emaciated through fasting and grief, depressed due to brooding and threatenings. She ate very little but was rich with austerities.

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.

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.