← 3.45.1 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 45: Rāvaṇa reveals his identity · 3.45.3 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.45.2

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 45: Rāvaṇa reveals his identity. Sītā recounts her marriage and exile, he offers Queenship in Laṅkā and she rejects him with warnings of destruction

In the sequence: Thinking that a brāhmaṇa guest should not be left unanswered, Sītā introduces herself as Janaka's daughter and Rāma's wife

3.45.2

brāhmaṇaś cātithiś caiṣa anukto hi śapeta mām
iti dhyātvā muhūrtaṃ tu sītā vacanam abravīt

'This one is a Brahmin and a guest; if left unanswered, he might well curse me' — so reflecting for a moment, Sītā spoke these words.

Words: brāhmaṇaś — a Brahmin; cātithiś — and a guest; caiṣa — and this one; anukto — unanswered; hi — indeed; śapeta — might curse; mām — me; iti — thus; dhyātvā — having reflected; muhūrtaṃ — for a moment; tu — and; sītā — Sītā; vacanam — words; abravīt — spoke

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.