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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.47.15
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: he seizes her by the hair with his left hand and around the thighs with his right
3.47.15
ity uktvā maithilīṃ vākyaṃ priyārhāṃ priyavādinīm
jagrāha rāvaṇaḥ sītāṃ budhaḥ khe rohiṇīm iva
Having spoken these words to Maithilī — she who deserved only kindness and spoke only kindly — Rāvaṇa seized Sītā, as the planet Budha might seize the star Rohiṇī in the sky.
Words: ity — thus; uktvā — having spoken; maithilīṃ — to Maithilī; vākyaṃ — words; priyārhāṃ — deserving of kindness; priyavādinīm — sweet-spoken; jagrāha — seized; rāvaṇaḥ — Rāvaṇa; sītāṃ — Sītā; budhaḥ — the planet Budha (Mercury); khe — in the sky; rohiṇīm — Rohiṇī (a star); iva — like
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.