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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.45.21

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: Rāvaṇa now identifies himself as the feared ruler of the rākṣasas

3.45.21

evaṃ bruvatyāṃ sītāyāṃ rāmapatnyāṃ mahābalaḥ
pratyuvācottaraṃ tīvraṃ rāvaṇo rākṣasādhipaḥ

As Sītā, Rāma's wife, spoke thus, the mighty Rāvaṇa, lord of the rākṣasas, gave a harsh reply:

Words: evaṃ — thus; bruvatyāṃ — (as she was) speaking; sītāyāṃ — (as) Sītā; rāmapatnyāṃ — the wife of Rāma; mahābalaḥ — the mighty one; pratyuvācottaraṃ — replied a reply; tīvraṃ — harsh, fierce; rāvaṇo — Rāvaṇa; rākṣasādhipaḥ — lord of the rākṣasas

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.