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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.16.28
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 16: Rāma accepts fourteen years of exile. Kaikeyī explains the boons, Rāma agrees, asks for Bharata’s return and leaves to speak to Kausalyā & Sītā
In the sequence: Rāma accepts immediately → he says that what hurts him is his father's inability to tell him directly: he would willingly give Bharata the Kingdom and everything else.
2.16.28
evam astu gamiṣyāmi vanaṃ vastum ahaṃ tv ataḥ
jaṭācīradharo rājñaḥ pratijñām anupālayan
“So be it; I shall go hence to dwell in the forest, wearing matted hair and bark, upholding the king's promise.
Words: evam — so; astu — let it be; gamiṣyāmi — I shall go; vanaṃ — to the forest; vastum — to dwell; ahaṃ — I; tv — indeed; ataḥ — hence, from here; jaṭācīradharo — wearing matted hair and bark; rājñaḥ — of the king; pratijñām — the promise; anupālayan — upholding
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.