← 3.8.28 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 8: Story of the tapasvin’s sword

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.8.29

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 8: Story of the tapasvin’s sword. Sītā describes how guarding Indra’s weapon corrupted a peaceful ṛṣi and warns Rāma against violence without enmity

In the sequence: she praises dharma as the source of lasting well-being and asks him to consider her words with Lakṣmaṇa, then decide for himself.

3.8.29

strīcāpalād etad udāhṛtaṃ me dharmaṃ ca vaktuṃ tava kaḥ samarthaḥ
vicārya buddhyā tu sahānujena yad rocate tat kuru mācireṇa

This has been uttered by me out of a woman's fickleness—for who is competent to teach dharma to you? Having pondered it with your intellect together with your brother, do without delay whatever pleases you.

Words: strīcāpalād — out of a woman's fickleness; etad — this; udāhṛtaṃ — uttered, said; me — by me; dharmaṃ — dharma; ca — and; vaktuṃ — to speak, to teach; tava — to you; kaḥ — who; samarthaḥ — competent, able; vicārya — having pondered; buddhyā — with the intellect; tu — but; sahānujena — together with your younger brother; yad rocate — whatever pleases; tat — that; kuru — do; mācireṇa — without delay

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.