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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18.5

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: Lakṣmaṇa tells Kausalyā that Rāma has done nothing wrong and that an aging King led by his wife's wishes should not be obeyed in this matter

2.18.5

na taṃ paśyāmy ahaṃ loke parokṣam api yo naraḥ
amitro 'pi nirasto 'pi yo 'sya doṣam udāharet

I do not see in this world the man—even in secret, even an enemy, even one who is cast out—who could cite a single fault of his.

Words: na — not; taṃ — that (man); paśyāmy — I see; ahaṃ — I; loke — in the world; parokṣam — in secret, out of sight; api — even; yo — who; naraḥ — the man; amitro — an enemy; 'pi — even; nirasto — cast out, rejected; 'pi — even; yo — who; 'sya — of his; doṣam — fault; udāharet — would cite, adduce

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.