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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.109.26

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 109: Rāma leaves Citrakūṭa for Atri. Family memories and the army’s animal waste prompt departure, Atri recounts Anasūyā’s relief of a ten-year drought and sends Sītā to her

In the sequence: she speaks about steadfastness in marriage and the value she assigns to a wife's devotion through changing circumstances.

2.109.26

na tv evam avagacchanti guṇa doṣam asat striyaḥ
kāmavaktavyahṛdayā bhartṛnāthāś caranti yāḥ

But base women do not thus perceive the merit and the fault — those who, with hearts to be swayed by desire, behave loosely though having a husband as their protector.

Words: na tv — but not; evam — thus; avagacchanti — they understand; guṇa doṣam — the merit and the fault; asat — base, bad; striyaḥ — women; kāmavaktavyahṛdayā — with hearts to be dictated by desire; bhartṛnāthāś — having a husband as protector; caranti — they go about, behave; yāḥ — who

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.