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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.12.6

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

3.12.6

śatahradānāṃ lolatvaṃ śastrāṇāṃ tīkṣṇatāṃ tathā
garuḍānilayoḥ śaighryam anugacchanti yoṣitaḥ

Women match the flickering of lightning-bolts, the keenness of weapons, and the swiftness of Garuḍa and the wind.

Words: śatahradānāṃ — of lightning-flashes; lolatvaṃ — the fickleness, flickering; śastrāṇāṃ — of weapons; tīkṣṇatāṃ — the keenness, sharpness; tathā — and, likewise; garuḍānilayoḥ — of Garuḍa and the wind; śaighryam — the swiftness; anugacchanti — they follow, match; yoṣitaḥ — women

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.