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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.25.5
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 25: Rāma describes the hardships of forest life. Rāma describes the forest’s hunger, exposure, dangerous animals and tapasvin hardships, Sītā remains determined to accompany him
In the sequence: he describes the frightening sounds of lions and mountain streams
2.25.5
hitabuddhyā khalu vaco mayaitad abhidhīyate
sadā sukhaṃ na jānāmi duḥkham eva sadā vanam
It is indeed with a mind for your welfare that this word is spoken by me: I have never known the forest to be a pleasure, but always a sorrow.
Words: hitabuddhyā — with a mind for welfare; khalu — indeed; vaco — word; mayaitad — this by me; abhidhīyate — is spoken; sadā sukhaṃ na jānāmi — I never know it to be a pleasure; duḥkham eva — only a sorrow; sadā — always; vanam — the forest
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.