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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.1.31

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 1: Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir. With Bharata & Śatrughna in Kekaya, Daśaratha weighs Rāma’s fitness to rule and summons an assembly

In the sequence: Daśaratha privately considers Rāma's qualifications and the people's affection for him, judging him even better fitted to rule than himself

2.1.31

vṛddhikāmo hi lokasya sarvabhūtānukampanaḥ
mattaḥ priyataro loke parjanya iva vṛṣṭimān

“For he desires the prosperity of the world and is compassionate to all beings; he is dearer to the world than I am, like the rain-laden cloud (that all welcome).

Words: vṛddhikāmo — desiring (their) prosperity; hi — for, indeed; lokasya — of the world; sarvabhūtānukampanaḥ — compassionate to all beings; mattaḥ — than me; priyataro — dearer; loke — in the world, to the world; parjanya iva — like the rain-cloud; vṛṣṭimān — laden with rain

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.