Araṇya Kāṇḍa 9: Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis · 3.9.2 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.9.1
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 9: Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis. He explains their refusal to spend tapasvin power on curses and declares that protecting them binds him more strongly than his own life
In the sequence: Rāma acknowledges that Sītā has spoken lovingly and thoughtfully
3.9.1
vākyam etat tu vaidehyā vyāhṛtaṃ bhartṛbhaktayā
śrutvā dharme sthito rāmaḥ pratyuvācātha maithilīm
Having heard this speech uttered by Vaidehī, devoted to her husband, Rāma, steadfast in dharma, then replied to the princess of Mithilā:
Words: vākyam — speech, words; etat — this; tu — and; vaidehyā — by Vaidehī; vyāhṛtaṃ — uttered, spoken; bhartṛbhaktayā — by (her) devoted to her husband; śrutvā — having heard; dharme — in dharma; sthito — steadfast, established; rāmaḥ — Rāma; pratyuvācātha — then replied; maithilīm — the princess of Mithilā (Sītā)
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.