← 3.44.35 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 44: Rāvaṇa’s parivrājaka disguise

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.44.36

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: Rāvaṇa smiles while planning the abduction → Sītā continues looking for the brothers, but neither is in sight.

3.44.36

tataḥ suveṣaṃ mṛgayā gataṃ patiṃ pratīkṣamāṇā sahalakṣmaṇaṃ tadā
nirīkṣamāṇā haritaṃ dadarśa tan mahad vanaṃ naiva tu rāmalakṣmaṇau

Then, awaiting her handsome husband gone hunting together with Lakṣmaṇa, and gazing about over the greenery, she looked upon that great forest — but saw neither Rāma nor Lakṣmaṇa.

Words: tataḥ — then; suveṣaṃ — handsome, well-attired; mṛgayā — to the hunt; gataṃ — gone; patiṃ — husband; pratīkṣamāṇā — awaiting; sahalakṣmaṇaṃ — together with Lakṣmaṇa; tadā — then; nirīkṣamāṇā — gazing about; haritaṃ — the greenery; dadarśa — saw, looked upon; tan — that; mahad — great; vanaṃ — forest; naiva — but not; tu — however; rāmalakṣmaṇau — Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa

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.