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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.12.16

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

2.12.16

dharmabandhena baddho 'smi naṣṭā ca mama cetanā
jyeṣṭhaṃ putraṃ priyaṃ rāmaṃ draṣṭum icchāmi dhārmikam

“I am bound by the bond of dharma and my senses are gone; I wish to see my dear, righteous, eldest son Rāma.”

Words: dharmabandhena — by the bond of dharma; baddho — bound; 'smi — I am; naṣṭā — lost, destroyed; ca — and; mama — my; cetanā — consciousness, sense; jyeṣṭhaṃ — eldest; putraṃ — son; priyaṃ — dear; rāmaṃ — Rāma; draṣṭum — to see; icchāmi — I wish; dhārmikam — righteous

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.