← 2.26.18 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 26: Sītā’s foretold forest life · 2.26.20 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.26.19

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

2.26.19

yadi māṃ duḥkhitām evaṃ vanaṃ netuṃ na cecchasi
viṣam agniṃ jalaṃ vāham āsthāsye mṛtyukāraṇāt

If you will not take me, grieved as I am, to the forest, then I shall resort to poison, fire, or water, to bring about my death.

Words: yadi māṃ duḥkhitām evaṃ — if me, thus grieved; vanaṃ netuṃ na cecchasi — you do not wish to take to the forest; viṣam — poison; agniṃ — fire; jalaṃ vāham — or water, I; āsthāsye — I shall resort to; mṛtyukāraṇāt — to bring about my death

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.