Araṇya Kāṇḍa 47: Sītā’s abduction · 3.47.2 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.47.1

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 47: Sītā’s abduction. Rāvaṇa reveals his ten-faced form and lifts her into his flying chariot, she calls on the forest, river and Jaṭāyu to inform Rāma

In the sequence: Rāvaṇa strikes his hands together and boasts that he can lift the earth, drink the ocean, stop the sun, and defeat Death

3.47.1

sītāyā vacanaṃ śrutvā daśagrīvaḥ pratāpavān
haste hastaṃ samāhatya cakāra sumahad vapuḥ

Hearing Sītā's words, the mighty ten-necked Rāvaṇa, striking hand against hand, assumed a colossal form.

Words: sītāyā — of Sītā; vacanaṃ — words; śrutvā — having heard; daśagrīvaḥ — the ten-necked one (Rāvaṇa); pratāpavān — mighty, majestic; haste — on (one) hand; hastaṃ — hand; samāhatya — having clapped, struck; cakāra — made; sumahad — very great; vapuḥ — body, form

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.