← 2.26.21 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 26: Sītā’s foretold forest life

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.26.22

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: Rāma still hesitates and tries to comfort her as she weeps.

2.26.22

cintayantīṃ tathā tāṃ tu nivartayitum ātmavān
krodhāviṣṭāṃ tu vaidehīṃ kākutstho bahv asāntvayat

As she brooded thus, the self-possessed Kākutstha, to dissuade the princess of Videha, who was overcome with vehemence, comforted her much.

Words: cintayantīṃ tathā tāṃ tu — her brooding thus; nivartayitum — to dissuade, turn back; ātmavān — the self-possessed one; krodhāviṣṭāṃ tu — overcome with vehemence; vaidehīṃ — the princess of Videha; kākutstho — Kākutstha; bahv asāntvayat — comforted much

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.