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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.10.37

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 10: Kaikeyī claims the two boons. Bound by his promise, Daśaratha hears her demands for Bharata’s abhiṣeka and Rāma’s exile, then collapses and pleads

In the sequence: he says he could surrender his Kingdom or his life but cannot live without Rāma → he begs Kaikeyī to change her mind and falls toward her feet.

2.10.37

kausalyāṃ vā sumitrāṃ vā tyajeyam api vā śriyam
jīvitaṃ vātmano rāmaṃ na tv eva pitṛvatsalam

I could give up Kausalyā, or Sumitrā, or even sovereignty, or my own life — but never Rāma, who is devoted to his father.

Words: kausalyāṃ — Kausalyā; vā — or; sumitrāṃ — Sumitrā; vā — or; tyajeyam — I could give up; api — even; vā — or; śriyam — sovereignty, fortune; jīvitaṃ — life; vātmano — or (my) own; rāmaṃ — Rāma; na — not; tv — but; eva — indeed; pitṛvatsalam — devoted to his father

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.