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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.65.15

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 65: Story of Sītā & Śiva’s bow: Birth, suitors and Janaka’s condition. Janaka recounts Sītā’s birth, Śiva’s bow and the suitors’ failure, offering her hand to Rāma if he can string it

In the sequence: born from the furrow rather than a womb, she grew up as his daughter → he resolved that proven valor would be the condition of her marriage

1.65.15

bhūtalād utthitā sā tu vyavardhata mamātmajā
vīryaśulketi me kanyā sthāpiteyam ayonijā

Risen from the ground, she grew up as my daughter; and this maiden of mine, not womb-born, was established with valor as her bride-price.

Words: bhūtalād — from the ground; utthitā — risen; sā — she; tu — and; vyavardhata — grew up; mamātmajā — my daughter; vīryaśulketi — 'valor as bride-price'; me — my; kanyā — maiden; sthāpiteyam — this was established; ayonijā — not womb-born

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.