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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.16.12

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 16: Śūrpaṇakhā’s proposal. Rāvaṇa’s sister asks Rāma to marry her and threatens to eat Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa so they can roam the forest together

In the sequence: Rāma openly identifies himself, his wife, and his brother, explains the parental command behind his exile, and asks who she is

3.16.12

evam uktas tu rākṣasyā śūrpaṇakhyā paraṃtapaḥ
ṛjubuddhitayā sarvam ākhyātum upacakrame

Thus addressed by the rākṣasī Śūrpaṇakhā, that scorcher of foes, out of his straightforwardness, began to tell everything:

Words: evam uktas — thus addressed; tu — and; rākṣasyā — by the rākṣasī; śūrpaṇakhyā — by Śūrpaṇakhā; paraṃtapaḥ — the scorcher of foes; ṛjubuddhitayā — out of straightforwardness of mind; sarvam — everything; ākhyātum — to tell; upacakrame — began

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.