Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 61: Kausalyā Condemns Daśaratha in Extreme Distress
Text 2.61.4
सा नूनं तरुणी श्यामा सुकुमारी सुखोचिता।
कथमुष्णं च शीतं च मैथिली प्रसहिष्यते॥
sā nūnaṁ taruṇī śyāmā sukumārī sukhocitā
katham uṣṇaṁ ca śītaṁ ca maithilī prasahiṣyate
sā = she is; nūnam taruṇī śyāmā = has not even reached the middle of her youth; sukumārī = very tender; sukha-ucitā = used to comfort; katham = how can she; uṣṇam = the heat; ca = and; śītam = cold; ca = and; maithilī = Maithilī; prasahiṣyate = tolerate.
Maithilī has not even reached the middle of her youth. She is very tender and used to comfort. How can she tolerate the heat and cold?
Taruṇī means “in the beginning of youth” and śyāmā means “in the middle of youth.” By Kausalyā’s usage of both these words, it can be inferred that Sītā-devī was slightly younger than one in the middle of youth. She was not in the beginning of her youth.