Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 56: Sītā is Taken to Aśoka-vana
Text 3.57.1
सा तथोक्ता तु वैदेही निर्भया शोककर्शिता।
तृणमन्तरतः कृत्वा रावणं प्रत्यभाषत॥
sā tathoktā tu vaidehī nirbhayā śoka-karśitā
tṛṇam antarataḥ kṛtvā rāvaṇaṁ pratyabhāṣata
sā = she; tathā = thus; uktā tu = was addressed; vaidehī = when Vaidehī; nirbhayā = fearlessly; śoka-karśitā = who was emaciated by lamentation; tṛṇam = a blade of grass; antarataḥ = between [her and]; kṛtvā = placed; rāvaṇam = Rāvaṇa; pratyabhāṣata = and replied [as follows].
When Vaidehī who was emaciated by lamentation was thus addressed, she fearlessly placed a blade of grass between [her and] Rāvaṇa and replied [as follows].
Sītā replied [to Rāvaṇa] in harsh words. He then arranged for her to go back to Aśoka-vana. This is described in this chapter.
[She placed a blade of grass] between [her and Rāvaṇa] because it is inappropriate for a woman chaste to her husband to face another man while talking to him.
GLOSS. This indicates that Rāvaṇa was not fit to be conversed with. It also indicates that Sītā-devī thought, “My husband disciplined the demoniac crow [Jayanta, the son of Indra] using a blade of grass. Daśagrīva, you will also have to undergo the same fate!”