← 3.53.1 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 53: Rāvaṇa’s offer to Sītā · 3.53.3 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.53.2

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

3.53.2

sa cintayāno vaidehīṃ kāmabāṇasamarpitaḥ
praviveśa gṛhaṃ ramyaṃ sītāṃ draṣṭum abhitvaran

Brooding on Vaidehī, pierced by the arrow of love, he entered his lovely house, hastening to see Sītā.

Words: sa — he; cintayāno — brooding, thinking; vaidehīṃ — on Vaidehī; kāmabāṇasamarpitaḥ — pierced by the arrow of love; praviveśa — entered; gṛhaṃ — house; ramyaṃ — lovely; sītāṃ — Sītā; draṣṭum — to see; abhitvaran — hastening

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.