Canto 2: Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa ()Chapter 38: Rāma Requests the King to Take Care of His Mother KausalyāText 2.38.9
Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 38: Rāma Requests the King to Take Care of His Mother Kausalyā
Text 2.38.9
मृगीवोत्फुल्लनयना मृदुशीला तपस्विनी।
अपकारं कमिह ते करोति जनकात्मजा॥
mṛgīvotphulla-nayanā mṛdu-śīlā tapasvinī
apakāraṁ kam iha te karoti janakātmajā
mṛgī = a doe; iva = she resembles; utphulla-nayanā = with widely blossomed eyes; mṛdu-śīlā = she has a gentle nature; tapasvinī = and is austere; apakāram = wrong; kam = what; iha = now; te = to you; karoti = has done; janaka-ātmajā = Janaka’s daughter.
“With widely blossomed eyes, she resembles a doe. She has a gentle nature and is austere. What wrong has Janaka’s daughter done to you now?
That Sītā-devī resembled a doe indicates that she was innocent. That she had a gentle nature indicates that she was afraid of committing offenses.