Valmiki Ramayana 2.119.2: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 119, Shloka 2
अनसूयाप्रीतिदानम् · Anasūyā’s Blessing and the Forest Path
Spoken by Rama to SitaPlaces named: svayaṃvara (Mithilā implied)
व्यक्ताक्षरपदं चित्रं भाषितं मधुरं त्वया ।
यथा स्वयंवरं वृत्तं तत्सर्वं हि श्रुतं मया ॥२॥
रमेऽहं कथया ते तु दृढं मधुरभाषिणि ।
vyaktākṣarapadaṃ citraṃ bhāṣitaṃ madhuraṃ tvayā |
yathā svayaṃvaraṃ vṛttaṃ tatsarvaṃ hi śrutaṃ mayā ||2||
rame 'haṃ kathayā te tu dṛḍhaṃ madhurabhāṣiṇi |
तुमने बहुत अच्छे से समझाया, हर बात साफ-साफ कही। मैंने सुना तुमने कैसे बताया वो स्वयंवर का पूरा हिस्सा। सीता तुम्हारी बात सुनकर बहुत खुश हुई हूँ।
Sandhi Notes
- śirasyāghrāya = śirasi + āghrāya
You have related wonderfully and sweetly your Swayamvara with each word and each syllable uttered clearly. I have heard everything as it happened. O sweet-speaking Sita, I have greatly enjoyed your story.
The teaching
Sweet, clear, and truthful speech deepens trust and joy; narration (kathā) becomes a vehicle of shared memory and harmony.
- Ethical theme
- Vāk-dharma (ethics of speech)
For your practice
Practice vāṅmaya-sādhana: speak clearly, kindly, and truthfully; listen with full attention—both are disciplines.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shringara (love), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Tender, delighted, praise-filled
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Maryada
- Itihasa
- Ethics
- Spousal harmony
- Respectful speech
Vāk as a śakti that reveals truth when disciplined; clarity and sweetness indicate sattva in antaḥkaraṇa.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka/Chāndogya reverence for vāk (speech) as a power; truthful, well-formed speech as a mark of inner order.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa Bālakāṇḍa (Sītā-svayaṃvara account; Śiva-dhanus episode); Rāmacaritamānasa Bālakāṇḍa (Sītā svayaṃvara narration and praise of Sītā’s qualities)
Vedic/Itihāsa tradition of kathā-śravaṇa as rasa-bearing instruction
Rāmāyaṇa recurring epithet ‘madhurabhāṣiṇī’ for Sītā (motif)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Joyful
Lighter gati with gentle gandhāra touches; smiling cadence
FAQs
Dharma here is expressed as respectful listening and truthful appreciation within marriage—valuing a spouse’s words, clarity, and sincerity (satya) rather than dismissing them.
Rama responds after hearing Sita recount the events of her svayaṃvara, praising the clarity and sweetness of her narration.
Rama’s gentleness and attentiveness (saumya-bhāva), shown by patient listening and affirming speech toward Sita.
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