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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.53.23

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

3.53.23

darśane mā kṛthā buddhiṃ rāghavasya varānane
kāsya śaktir ihāgantum api sīte manorathaiḥ

Set not your mind on seeing Rāghava, fair-faced one; what power has he to come here, Sītā, even in his fancies?

Words: darśane — on the seeing; mā — do not; kṛthā — make, set; buddhiṃ — the mind, intention; rāghavasya — of Rāghava; varānane — O fair-faced one; kāsya — what (is) his; śaktir — power; ihāgantum — to come here; api — even; sīte — O Sītā; manorathaiḥ — by wishes, in fancy

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.