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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.26.18

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 threatens to end her life if left behind

2.26.18

bhaktāṃ pativratāṃ dīnāṃ māṃ samāṃ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ
netum arhasi kākutstha samānasukhaduḥkhinīm

You ought to take me, Kākutstha—devoted, faithful to my husband, forlorn, alike in joys and sorrows, sharing your happiness and grief in equal measure.

Words: bhaktāṃ — devoted; pativratāṃ — faithful to my husband; dīnāṃ — forlorn, wretched; māṃ — me; samāṃ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ — alike in joy and sorrow; netum arhasi — you ought to take; kākutstha — O Kākutstha; samānasukhaduḥkhinīm — sharing the same joys and sorrows

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.