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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.16.50

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 says he values duty above gain and would obey Kaikeyī even without a separate command from his father → he asks only to take leave of Kausalyā and speak to Sītā, and tells Kaikeyī to ensure that Bharata serves their father

2.16.50

na nūnaṃ mayi kaikeyi kiṃ cid āśaṃsase guṇam
yad rājānam avocas tvaṃ mameśvaratarā satī

“Surely, Kaikeyī, you expect no merit in me at all, since, being more my mistress than the king, you spoke to him directly.

Words: na — not; nūnaṃ — surely, doubtless; mayi — in me; kaikeyi — O Kaikeyī; kiṃ cid — any; āśaṃsase — you expect, you count on; guṇam — merit, virtue; yad — since; rājānam — the king; avocas — you spoke to; tvaṃ — you; mameśvaratarā — being more a mistress over me; satī — being

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.