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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.12.4
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 12: Agastya’s directions. Rāma asks for a wooded home near water, Agastya recommends food-rich Pañcavaṭī beside the Godāvarī and describes the route
In the sequence: he urges Rāma to make her happy and praises her steadfastness in adversity, comparing her to Arundhatī
3.12.4
yathaiṣā ramate rāma iha sītā tathā kuru
duṣkaraṃ kṛtavaty eṣā vane tvām anugacchatī
Act, Rāma, so that Sītā may find joy here; she has done a hard thing in following you into the forest.
Words: yathaiṣā — in such a way that she; ramate — finds joy, delights; rāma — O Rāma; iha — here; sītā — Sītā; tathā — so; kuru — do, act; duṣkaraṃ — a hard thing, hard to do; kṛtavaty — has done; eṣā — she; vane — in the forest; tvām — you; anugacchatī — following
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.