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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.16.21

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: boasting of her own power, she asks Rāma to marry her and dismisses Sītā as an unsuitable wife

3.16.21

tān ahaṃ samatikrāntā rāma tvāpūrvadarśanāt
samupetāsmi bhāvena bhartāraṃ puruṣottamam
cirāya bhava bhartā me sītayā kiṃ kariṣyasi

But I have surpassed them all, Rāma; on account of this unprecedented sight (of you) I have come with love to (you,) the best of men, as a husband. Be my husband for a long time — what will you do with Sītā?

Words: tān — them; ahaṃ — I; samatikrāntā — have surpassed, excelled; rāma — O Rāma; tvāpūrvadarśanāt — but on account of this unprecedented sight; samupetāsmi — I have come, approached; bhāvena — with love, feeling; bhartāraṃ — as a husband; puruṣottamam — the best of men; cirāya — for a long time; bhava — be; bhartā — husband; me — my; sītayā — with Sītā; kiṃ — what; kariṣyasi — will you do

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.