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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18.22

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 18: Resistance or obedience. Lakṣmaṇa offers force and Kausalyā asks Rāma to stay, Rāma cites ancestral precedents and upholds his father’s word

In the sequence: Kausalyā asks Rāma to stay and fulfill his duty to her instead; she threatens to fast to death if he leaves

2.18.22

tvadviyogān na me kāryaṃ jīvitena sukhena vā
tvayā saha mama śreyas tṛṇānām api bhakṣaṇam

Through separation from you I have no use for life or comfort; better for me even to eat grass together with you.

Words: tvadviyogān — because of separation from you; na — not; me — for me; kāryaṃ — need, use, business; jīvitena — with life; sukhena — with comfort, happiness; vā — or; tvayā — with you; saha — together; mama — for me; śreyas — better; tṛṇānām — of grasses; api — even; bhakṣaṇam — the eating

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.