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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.10.4

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: Daśaratha comes to share the happy news with Kaikeyī and finds her lying on the floor

2.10.4

kareṇum iva digdhena viddhāṃ mṛgayuṇā vane
mahāgaja ivāraṇye snehāt parimamarśa tām

As a great elephant in the forest lovingly caresses a she-elephant pierced by a hunter's poisoned dart, so with affection he stroked her.

Words: kareṇum — a she-elephant; iva — like; digdhena — by a poisoned (dart); viddhāṃ — pierced; mṛgayuṇā — by a hunter; vane — in the forest; mahāgaja — a great elephant; ivāraṇye — as in the forest; snehāt — out of affection; parimamarśa — stroked; tām — her

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.