← 3.44.21 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 44: Rāvaṇa’s parivrājaka disguise · 3.44.23 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.44.22

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 says the dangerous forest is no place for her and that palaces, gardens, fine clothing, and a suitable husband would better match her

3.44.22

naivaṃrūpā mayā nārī dṛṣṭapūrvā mahītale
iha vāsaś ca kāntāre cittam unmāthayanti me

Never before have I seen on earth a woman of such beauty; and this — your dwelling here in the wilderness — troubles my mind.

Words: naivaṃrūpā — not (a woman) of such beauty; mayā — by me; nārī — a woman; dṛṣṭapūrvā — seen before; mahītale — on earth; iha — here; vāsaś — dwelling; ca — and; kāntāre — in the wilderness; cittam — the mind; unmāthayanti — trouble, agitate; me — my

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.