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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.44.14

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 44: Rāvaṇa’s parivrājaka disguise. He approaches Sītā with Vedic words and praise of her beauty, she receives him as a brāhmaṇa guest

In the sequence: he recites Vedic words, speaks humbly, and praises her beauty, asking whether she is a devī

3.44.14

tām uttamāṃ trilokānāṃ padmahīnām iva śriyam
vibhrājamānāṃ vapuṣā rāvaṇaḥ praśaśaṃsa ha

Rāvaṇa praised her, the finest in the three worlds, radiant in form, like Śrī (Lakṣmī) without her lotus:

Words: tām — her; uttamāṃ — the finest, best; trilokānāṃ — of the three worlds; padmahīnām — without a lotus; iva — like; śriyam — Śrī (Lakṣmī); vibhrājamānāṃ — radiant, shining; vapuṣā — in body, form; rāvaṇaḥ — Rāvaṇa; praśaśaṃsa — praised; ha — indeed

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.