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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.43.27

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: Wounded by her words, Lakṣmaṇa says he reveres her but responds with bitter generalizations about women and calls the forest beings to witness that he has obeyed his brother

3.43.27

svabhāvas tv eṣa nārīṇām eṣu lokeṣu dṛśyate
vimuktadharmāś capalās tīkṣṇā bhedakarāḥ striyaḥ

This is indeed the nature of women, as is seen in these worlds: women are loose in conduct, fickle, harsh, and sowers of discord.

Words: svabhāvas — nature; tv — indeed; eṣa — this; nārīṇām — of women; eṣu — in these; lokeṣu — worlds; dṛśyate — is seen; vimuktadharmāś — loose in conduct (having abandoned dharma); capalās — fickle; tīkṣṇā — harsh, sharp; bhedakarāḥ — sowers of discord; striyaḥ — 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.