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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.54.9

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 54: Sumantra comforts Kausalyā. He describes Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s curiosity about the forest, but Kausalyā’s grief persists

In the sequence: he describes Sītā as at ease beside Rāma, enjoying the woods as she once enjoyed the city gardens

2.54.9

nagaropavanaṃ gatvā yathā sma ramate purā
tathaiva ramate sītā nirjaneṣu vaneṣv api

“Just as of old she used to delight when she went to the city's pleasure-groves, so exactly does Sītā delight even in the desolate forests.”

Words: nagaropavanaṃ — to the city pleasure-grove; gatvā — having gone; yathā — just as; sma — (with pres. = used to); ramate — delights, takes pleasure; purā — formerly, of old; tathaiva — so exactly, in the same way; ramate — delights; sītā — Sītā; nirjaneṣu — in the peopleless, desolate; vaneṣv — in the forests; api — even

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.