← 3.45.44 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 45: Rāvaṇa reveals his identity

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.45.45

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: despite her firm words, she trembles → Rāvaṇa responds by boasting of his power to frighten her.

3.45.45

tāṃ vepamānām upalakṣya sītāṃ sa rāvaṇo mṛtyusamaprabhāvaḥ
kulaṃ balaṃ nāma ca karma cātmanaḥ samācacakṣe bhayakāraṇārtham

Seeing Sītā trembling thus, Rāvaṇa, whose might was like Death itself, recounted his lineage, his strength, his name, and his deeds, so as to strike terror in her.

Words: tāṃ — her; vepamānām — trembling; upalakṣya — observing; sītāṃ — Sītā; sa — he; rāvaṇo — Rāvaṇa; mṛtyusamaprabhāvaḥ — of might equal to Death; kulaṃ — lineage; balaṃ — strength; nāma — name; ca — and; karma — deeds; cātmanaḥ — and of himself; samācacakṣe — related, recounted; bhayakāraṇārtham — for the purpose of causing 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.