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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.12.15

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 12: Daśaratha summons Rāma. Kaikeyī insists on the promise, Daśaratha repudiates her & Bharata, Sumantra leaves unaware of the exile

In the sequence: Daśaratha says that, bound by duty and overwhelmed, he longs to see his eldest son

2.12.15

sa nunna iva tīkṣeṇa pratodena hayottamaḥ
rājā pradocito 'bhīkṣṇaṃ kaikeyīm idam abravīt

Like an excellent horse goaded by a sharp whip, the king, spurred on again and again, said this to Kaikeyī:

Words: sa — he; nunna — goaded, driven; iva — as, like; tīkṣeṇa — sharp; pratodena — by a goad, whip; hayottamaḥ — best of horses; rājā — the king; pradocito — spurred on, urged; 'bhīkṣṇaṃ — again and again; kaikeyīm — to Kaikeyī; idam — this; abravīt — said

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.