न विन्दते तत्र तु शर्म मैथिली विरूपनेत्राभिरतीव तर्जिता।
पतिं स्मरन्ती दयितं च दैवतं विचेतनाऽभूद्भयशोकपीडिता॥
na vindate tatra tu śarma maithilī
virūpa-netrābhir atīva tarjitā
patiṁ smarantī dayitaṁ ca daivataṁ
vicetanābhūd bhaya-śoka-pīḍitā
na = no; vindate = [and so] she found; tatra tu = in Aśoka-vana; śarma = happiness; maithilī = Maithilī; virūpa-netrābhiḥ = [the rākṣasīs] of deformed eyes; atīva = greatly; tarjitā = threatened; patim = husband; smarantī = while remembering; dayitam = her dear; ca = and; daivatam = divine; vicetanā = senseless; abhūt = became; bhaya-śoka-pīḍitā = [and] tormented [her] with fear and distress.
[The rākṣasīs] of deformed eyes greatly threatened [and] tormented [her] with fear and distress. Maithilī became senseless while remembering her dear and divine husband, [and so] she found no happiness in Aśoka-vana.
[1] sūdā audanikā guṇāḥ. (Amara)
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: dayitaṁ prāṇa-vallabham.
2 We will come across this in Chapter 59 of Canto 6 of the Rāmāyaṇa.
3 Vedavatī was an empowered incarnation of Lakṣmī-devī. Therefore the real Sītā and Vedavatī are often identified with each other both in the scriptures and by authentic commentators.
4 In other words, a lady should not be relieved or happy to be away from her dhārmika husband—this is in accordance with the general and standard principles of strī-dharma. Just as Lord Rāmacandra demonstrates the standard duty of men by meticulously adhering to His varṇa- and āśrama-dharma, Mother Sītā demonstrates the standard duty of women by adhering to strī-dharma.
Dayitam (“dear”) indicates that [her husband] was her very life.1
Sītā is understood to be an incarnation of Lakṣmī. [Lord Brahmā] will state:
sītā lakṣmīr bhavān viṣṇuḥ
“Sītā is Lakṣmī. You are Viṣṇu.” (Rāmāyaṇa 6.120.26)
It is also stated in Viṣṇu Purāṇa (1.9.144):
rāghavatve ’bhavat sītā rukmiṇī kṛṣṇa-janmani
“When He was born as Rāghava, she was Sītā. When He was born as Kṛṣṇa, she was Rukmiṇī.”
Then how is it possible for Rāvaṇa to forcibly abduct Sītā, [especially] when he was incapable of [even] lifting Lakṣmaṇa when the latter exhibited the symptoms of being in a state of swoon at the end of a [particular] battle [with Rāvaṇa]?2 Indeed, the author will remark [in this regard]:
himavān mandaro merus
trailokyaṁ vā sahāmaraiḥ
śakyaṁ bhujābhyām uddhartuṁ
na saṅkhye bharatānujaḥ
“[Rāvaṇa] was able to lift the Himālayas, Mandara, Meru and the three worlds including the immortal devas with his two arms. But he couldn’t [lift] Bharata’s younger brother [Lakṣmaṇa] in battle!” (Rāmāyaṇa 6.59.110)
The answer to this question is as follows.
The goddess had resolved in the past that this would happen when she takes birth as Vedavatī. This is stated in Canto 7 (Uttara-kāṇḍa):
yasmāt tu dharṣitā cāhaṁ tvayā pāpātmanā vane
tasmāt tava vadhārthaṁ vai utpatsyehaṁ mahī-tale
“Because you, a sinful soul, have abused me in the forest, I will certainly take birth on the surface of earth to kill you.” (Rāmāyaṇa 7.17.32)
Therefore, it should be understood that she willingly allowed herself to be abducted to execute the mission of the devas.3 Just as when one’s children fall into a well, their mother also jumps into the well out of excessive affection [to retrieve them], Sītā-devī personally allowed herself to be taken [by Rāvaṇa] in order to protect and care for the deva females arrested by Rāvaṇa. She will state in Canto 5 (Sundara-kāṇḍa):
nāpahartum ahaṁ śakyā tasya rāmasya dhīmataḥ
vidhis tava vadhārthāya vihito nātra saṁśayaḥ
“I cannot be taken away from that intelligent Rāma. Undoubtedly, Providence has destined [this] so that you can be killed.” (Rāmāyaṇa 5.22.21)
Then why did Sītā-devī prattle and so on [in extreme distress]? She did so to convey the following beneficial advice to the world: When a lady sworn in chastity to her husband is separated from him, this is how she should be.4