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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.53.22

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: he claims that Laṅkā's ocean defenses and his own strength make rescue impossible, belittling Rāma's power

3.53.22

bhajasva sīte mām eva bhartāhaṃ sadṛśas tava
yauvanaṃ hy adhruvaṃ bhīru ramasveha mayā saha

Love me alone, Sītā; I am a husband befitting you. Youth is fleeting, timid one—take your pleasure here with me.

Words: bhajasva — love, be devoted to; sīte — O Sītā; mām — me; eva — alone; bhartāhaṃ — I (am) a husband; sadṛśas — befitting, matching; tava — you; yauvanaṃ — youth; hy — for; adhruvaṃ — fleeting, impermanent; bhīru — O timid one; ramasveha — take pleasure here; mayā — with me; saha — together

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.