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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.20.23

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

2.20.23

pratijāne ca te vīra mā bhūvaṃ vīralokabhāk
rājyaṃ ca tava rakṣeyam ahaṃ veleva sāgaram

I vow to you, hero—may I lose my share in the heroes' world if I fail—that I would guard your kingship as the shore guards the sea.

Words: pratijāne — I vow, promise; ca — and; te — to you; vīra — O hero; mā — may not; bhūvaṃ — may I be; vīralokabhāk — sharing in the world of heroes; rājyaṃ — the kingship; ca — and; tava — your; rakṣeyam — I would guard; ahaṃ — I; veleva — like the shore; sāgaram — the sea

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.