Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 118

Meaning

On hearing the foregoing excellent panegyric addressed by Brahmā, the creator, the god of fire presently emerged from the burning pyre taking Sītā, a princess of the Videha territory, in his arms. (1)

Meaning

Scattering that funeral pile, and taking the aforesaid daughter of Janaka, a princess of the Videha territory, in his arms, the god of fire (lit., the bearer of sacrificial offerings) for his part forthwith rose at once from the fire in a corporeal form. (2)

Meaning

Bearing in his arms the youthful princess of the Videha territory, who was shining brightly as the rising sun, was decked with ornaments of refined gold and attired in a red robe, and wore dark curly hair, who was further adorned with ornaments of flowers which had not been blasted even on her entering the fire and emerging out of it, who was absolutely beyond reproach and looked just the same as she did while entering the flames—the god of fire restored her to Śrī Rāma. (3-4)

Meaning

The god of fire, the witness of the whole world, for his part then spoke as follows to Śrī Rāma: “Here is your spouse, Sītā, a princess of the Videha territory! No sin exists in her. (5)

Meaning

“The blessed lady, whose conduct has been excellent, has never been unfaithful to you, who are endowed with strength of character, either by word or by mind or again by conception or even by glance. (6)

Meaning

“This wretched yet virtuous lady was borne away by the ogre, Rāvaṇa, who was proud of his valour—while she was lonely in her hermitage and separated from you, and as such powerless. (7)

Meaning

“Though detained in his gynaeceum, kept hidden and guarded by frightful ogresses of a cruel mind, she kept her mind focussed on you and looked on you as her ultimate resort. (8)

Meaning

“With her mind set on you, the princess of Mithilā never thought of that ogre, even while being tempted in various ways and threatened by him. (9)

Meaning

“Therefore, accept the sinless princess of Mithilā of absolutely untainted mind. I hereby command you that she should not be told anything harsh.” (10)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma, the foremost of the eloquent, whose mind was set on virtue, felt rejoiced in mind to hear the aforesaid speech, and reflected for a while, his eyes blinded by tears of joy. (11)

Meaning

Spoken to as aforesaid, Śrī Rāma, the foremost of those upholding the cause of virtue, who was endowed with extraordinary energy and great valour, and was full of firmness, replied as follows to the god of fire (the foremost of gods): (12)

Meaning

“Sītā undoubtedly needed this purificatory ordeal in the eyes of the people inasmuch as this blessed lady had lived for a long time in the gynaeceum of Rāvaṇa.(13)

Meaning

“The world would murmur against me saying that Rāma, son of Daśaratha, was really foolish and that his mind was dominated by lust, if I actually accepted the daughter of Janaka without proving her chastitiy.(14)

Meaning

“I too know Sītā, the daughter of Janaka and a princess of Mithilā, to be undivided in her affection to me and agreeable to my mind. (15)

Meaning

“Rāvaṇa could not violate this large-eyed lady either, protected as she was by her own moral power, any more than a sea would transgress its bounds. (16)

Meaning

“In order, however, to convince the denizens of the three worlds, I, whose sheet-anchor is truth, ignored Sītā (a princess of the Videha territory) even while she was entering the fire. (17)

Meaning

“The extremely evil-minded fellow, Rāvaṇa, could not actually lay his violent hands even in thought on the princess of Mithilā, who was inaccessible to him like a flaming tongue of fire. (18)

Meaning

“This virtuous lady could not give way to frailty in the gynaeceum of Rāvaṇa inasmuch as Sītā is non-different from me even as sunlight is non-different from the sun. (19)

Meaning

“The daughter of Janaka, a princess of Mithilā, is absolutely unsullied in all the three worlds. She can no longer be renounced by me any more than good name by a man of prudence. (20)

Meaning

“The friendly advice of you all, the loving protectors of the world, who are saying what is conducive to our good, needs must be acted upon by me.” (21)

Meaning

Saying as aforesaid and getting reunited with his darling, Sītā, the victorious and highly illustrious Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, who was endowed with extraordinary might and deserved happiness, and was being glorified by exploits performed by his own self, experienced great felicity. (22)