Araṇya Kāṇḍa 53: Rāvaṇa’s offer to Sītā · 3.53.2 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.53.1

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 53: Rāvaṇa’s offer to Sītā. He displays his palace, promises wealth and authority over his wives, claims rescue is impossible and bows at her feet

In the sequence: After dispatching the eight agents, Rāvaṇa returns to Sītā, whom he finds grieving among her guards

3.53.1

saṃdiśya rākṣasān ghorān rāvaṇo 'ṣṭau mahābalān
ātmānaṃ buddhivaiklavyāt kṛtakṛtyam amanyata

Having dispatched the eight terrible, mighty rākṣasas, Rāvaṇa, in his confusion of mind, thought himself to have accomplished his aim.

Words: saṃdiśya — having dispatched, instructed; rākṣasān — rākṣasas; ghorān — terrible; rāvaṇo — Rāvaṇa; 'ṣṭau — eight; mahābalān — mighty; ātmānaṃ — himself; buddhivaiklavyāt — from confusion of mind; kṛtakṛtyam — to have accomplished his aim; amanyata — thought, considered

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.