← 2.26.15 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 26: Sītā’s foretold forest life · 2.26.17 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.26.16
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 26: Sītā’s foretold forest life. She recalls predictions heard in her parents’ home and refuses separation despite Rāma’s hesitation
In the sequence: she insists that their marriage binds them together in this life and beyond it
2.26.16
iha loke ca pitṛbhir yā strī yasya mahāmate
adbhir dattā svadharmeṇa pretyabhāve 'pi tasya sā
O most wise one, the woman who in this world is given by her parents to a man, with a libation of water, according to sacred law, is his even in the world beyond.
Words: iha loke ca — and in this world; pitṛbhir — by her parents; yā strī — which woman; yasya — to whom; mahāmate — O most wise one; adbhir dattā — given with water; svadharmeṇa — by sacred law; pretyabhāve 'pi — even in the world beyond; tasya sā — she is his
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.