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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.8.9

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: seeing him enter the forest armed worries her: a warrior's bow can inflame aggression as fuel feeds fire. To explain, Sītā recalls a tapasvin whose peaceful discipline Indra wished to obstruct

3.8.9

tatas tvāṃ prasthitaṃ dṛṣṭvā mama cintākulaṃ manaḥ
tvad vṛttaṃ cintayantyā vai bhaven niḥśreyasaṃ hitam

Seeing you thus set out, my mind is troubled with anxiety; brooding on your conduct, I would wish for what is best and most beneficial for you.

Words: tatas — then; tvāṃ — you; prasthitaṃ — set out; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; mama — my; cintākulaṃ — troubled with anxiety; manaḥ — mind; tvad vṛttaṃ — your conduct; cintayantyā — by (me) brooding; vai — indeed; bhaven — may there be; niḥśreyasaṃ — the highest good; hitam — benefit, welfare

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.