Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 28: Rāma Refuses to Accept Her Request
Text 2.28.2
सान्त्वयित्वा पुनस्तां तु बाष्पदूषितलोचनाम्।
निवर्तनार्थे धर्मात्मा वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह॥
sāntvayitvā punas tāṁ tu bāṣpa-dūṣita-locanām
nivartanārthe dharmātmā vākyam etad uvāca ha
sāntvayitvā = Lord Rāma consoled; punaḥ = again; tām tu = her; bāṣpa-dūṣita-locanām = Sītā-devī’s eyes overflowed with tears; nivartana-arthe = to restrain [her from coming with Him]; dharma-ātmā = Rāma, whose mind was devoted to dharma; vākyam = words; etat = the following; uvāca ha = spoke.
Sītā-devī’s eyes overflowed with tears. Lord Rāma again consoled her. To restrain [her from coming with Him], Rāma, whose mind was devoted to dharma, spoke the following words.
1 The eyeliner is generally referred to as kājal. Women put it around the edge of their eyes.
GLOSS. Bāṣpa-dūṣita-locanām indicates that the eyeliner around Sītā-devī’s eyes had become smudged because of her tears.[1