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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.44.17

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

3.44.17

samāḥ śikhariṇaḥ snigdhāḥ pāṇḍurā daśanās tava
viśāle vimale netre raktānte kṛṣṇatārake

Your teeth are even, pointed, glossy, and white; your two eyes are wide and clear, red at the corners, with dark pupils.

Words: samāḥ — even; śikhariṇaḥ — pointed, tipped; snigdhāḥ — glossy; pāṇḍurā — white; daśanās — teeth; tava — your; viśāle — wide (both); vimale — clear, spotless (both); netre — the two eyes; raktānte — red at the corners; kṛṣṇatārake — with dark pupils

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.