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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.20.22

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 20: Lakṣmaṇa opposes fate with effort. He offers to overcome every obstacle by force, Rāma wipes away his tears but remains bound to the promise

In the sequence: he says Rāma should retire to the forest only after ruling and entrusting the Kingdom to his own sons

2.20.22

sa ced rājany anekāgre rājyavibhramaśaṅkayā
naivam icchasi dharmātman rājyaṃ rāma tvam ātmani

If, O righteous Rāma, from fear of upheaval in a realm of many rival chiefs you thus do not desire the kingship for yourself,

Words: sa — he, that one; ced — if; rājany — in the realm; anekāgre — of many chiefs, not single-headed; rājyavibhramaśaṅkayā — from fear of the kingdom's upheaval; naivam — not thus; icchasi — you desire; dharmātman — O righteous one; rājyaṃ — the kingship; rāma — O Rāma; tvam — you; ātmani — for yourself

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.