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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.44.28

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

3.44.28

iha śākhāmṛgāḥ siṃhā dvīpivyāghramṛgās tathā
ṛkṣās tarakṣavaḥ kaṅkāḥ kathaṃ tebhyo na bibhyase

Here are monkeys, lions, leopards, tigers, and (other) beasts, and bears, hyenas, and herons — how do you not fear them?

Words: iha — here; śākhāmṛgāḥ — monkeys (branch-beasts); siṃhā — lions; dvīpivyāghramṛgās — leopards, tigers, and beasts; tathā — likewise; ṛkṣās — bears; tarakṣavaḥ — hyenas; kaṅkāḥ — herons; kathaṃ — how; tebhyo — of them; na — not; bibhyase — do you fear

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.