शृणु मैथिलि मद्वाक्यं मासान्द्वादश भामिनि।
कालेनानेन नाभ्येषि यदि मां चारुहासिनि।
ततस्त्वां प्रातराशार्थं सूदाश्छेत्स्यन्ति लेशशः॥
śṛṇu maithili mad-vākyaṁ māsān dvādaśa bhāmini
kālenānena nābhyeṣi yadi māṁ cāru-hāsini
tatas tvāṁ prātar-āśārthaṁ sūdāś chetsyanti leśaśaḥ
śṛṇu = listen; maithili = Maithilī; mat-vākyam = to my words; māsān = months; dvādaśa = I will wait for twelve; bhāmini = beautiful; kālena = time; anena = within this; na abhyeṣi = you don’t come; yadi = if; mām = to me; cāru-hāsini = with a lovely smile; tataḥ1 tvām = you; prātar-āśa-artham = for [my] breakfast; sūdāḥ = cooks 1; chetsyanti = will cut; leśaśaḥ = into pieces.
Beautiful Maithilī, listen to my words. I will wait for twelve months. If you don’t come to me within this time with a lovely smile, cooks will cut you into pieces for [my] breakfast.
1 Technical note: tataḥ chetsyanti.
Sītā-devī was abducted in the month of Caitra since Rāvaṇa was killed at the end of the year. It is therefore concluded that Lord Rāma stayed in Pañcavaṭī for three years. The description of the winter season is to inform us of Śrī Rāma’s special austerities, not to tell us when Śūrpaṇakhā came [to Him].