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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.5

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 23: Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā. Rāma reveals the exile and asks Sītā to respect Bharata’s authority, honour the Queens and care for his grieving parents

In the sequence: when Rāma enters, she notices his pale, troubled face

2.23.5

praviveśātha rāmas tu svaveśma suvibhūṣitam
prahṛṣṭajanasaṃpūrṇaṃ hriyā kiṃ cid avāṅmukhaḥ

Then Rāma entered his own well-adorned dwelling, filled with rejoicing folk, his face a little downcast out of modesty.

Words: praviveśātha — then he entered; rāmas tu — and Rāma; svaveśma — his own dwelling; suvibhūṣitam — well-adorned; prahṛṣṭajanasaṃpūrṇaṃ — filled with rejoicing folk; hriyā — out of modesty; kiṃ cid — a little, somewhat; avāṅmukhaḥ — with downcast face

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.