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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.54.21

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 54: Rāvaṇa’s deadline and threat. Sītā refuses him, he gives her twelve months to submit or be killed for his meal, then sends her to the aśoka grove

In the sequence: Rāvaṇa threatens that she has twelve months to submit; otherwise his cooks will cut her up for his morning meal

3.54.21

sītāyā vacanaṃ śrutvā paruṣaṃ romaharṣaṇam
pratyuvāca tataḥ sītāṃ bhayasaṃdarśanaṃ vacaḥ

Hearing Sītā's harsh, hair-raising speech, he then answered Sītā with words that showed forth a threat:

Words: sītāyā — of Sītā; vacanaṃ — speech; śrutvā — having heard; paruṣaṃ — harsh; romaharṣaṇam — hair-raising; pratyuvāca — answered; tataḥ — then; sītāṃ — to Sītā; bhayasaṃdarśanaṃ — displaying a threat; vacaḥ — words

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.