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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.43.12

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 43: Lakṣmaṇa leaves Sītā. He identifies the cry as deception, but her accusations overcome his resolve to stay and he departs toward Rāma

In the sequence: Lakṣmaṇa answers that no enemy can overcome Rāma and that the voice must be a rākṣasa's deception

3.43.12

avadhyaḥ samare rāmo naivaṃ tvaṃ vaktum arhasi
na tvām asmin vane hātum utsahe rāghavaṃ vinā

Rāma cannot be slain in battle; you ought not to speak thus. I cannot bring myself to leave you in this forest without Rāghava.

Words: avadhyaḥ — not to be slain; samare — in battle; rāmo — Rāma; naivaṃ — not thus; tvaṃ — you; vaktum — to speak; arhasi — you ought; na — not; tvām — you; asmin — in this; vane — forest; hātum — to leave; utsahe — I dare, am able; rāghavaṃ — Rāghava; vinā — without

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.