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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18.6

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: he urges Rāma to take power before the decision becomes public

2.18.6

devakalpam ṛjuṃ dāntaṃ ripūṇām api vatsalam
avekṣamāṇaḥ ko dharmaṃ tyajet putram akāraṇāt

Who, having regard for dharma, would abandon without cause a son godlike, upright, self-controlled, and tender even to his foes?

Words: devakalpam — godlike; ṛjuṃ — upright, straight; dāntaṃ — self-controlled; ripūṇām — of foes; api — even; vatsalam — tender, affectionate; avekṣamāṇaḥ — having regard, considering; ko — who; dharmaṃ — dharma; tyajet — would abandon; putram — a son; akāraṇāt — without cause

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.