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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.16.52
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
2.16.52
bharataḥ pālayed rājyaṃ śuśrūṣec ca pitur yathā
tahā bhavatyā kartavyaṃ sa hi dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ
“You must see to it, madam, that Bharata rules the kingdom and serves our father, for that is the eternal law.”
Words: bharataḥ — Bharata; pālayed — should rule, protect; rājyaṃ — the kingdom; śuśrūṣec — should serve; ca — and; pitur — our father; yathā — so that; tahā — so, thus; bhavatyā — by you (madam); kartavyaṃ — is to be done; sa — that; hi — for; dharmaḥ — law, duty; sanātanaḥ — eternal
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.