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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.19.9

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 19: Daśaratha’s resistance: The army offered in Rāma’s place. Daśaratha resists sending the young Rāma, offers himself and his army instead and renews his refusal on hearing of Rāvaṇa’s power

In the sequence: he describes Rāma as inexperienced in warfare and deception and says he cannot endure separation → if Rāma must go, he asks to accompany him with the fourfold army

1.19.9

yadi vā rāghavaṃ brahman netum icchasi suvrata
caturaṅgasamāyuktaṃ mayā saha ca taṃ naya

But if, O brahmin of good vows, you wish to take Rāghava, then take him along with me and with the fourfold army.

Words: yadi — if; vā — or, but; rāghavaṃ — Rāghava (Rāma); brahman — O brahmin; netum — to take; icchasi — you wish; suvrata — O you of good vows; caturaṅgasamāyuktaṃ — joined with the fourfold army; mayā — me; saha — with; ca — and; taṃ — him; naya — lead, take

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.