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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.21.14

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 21: Rāma asks Kausalyā to remain with Daśaratha. Kausalyā asks to follow Rāma, he persuades her to remain and care for the grieving Daśaratha

In the sequence: she renews her plea to accompany him, saying she cannot endure life among her co-wives

2.21.14

imāni tu mahāraṇye vihṛtya nava pañca ca
varṣāṇi paramaprītaḥ sthāsyāmi vacane tava

And having passed these fourteen years in the great forest, I shall abide, most gladly, by your word.

Words: imāni — these; tu — and; mahāraṇye — in the great forest; vihṛtya — having passed, spent; nava — nine; pañca — five; ca — and; varṣāṇi — years; paramaprītaḥ — greatly pleased; sthāsyāmi — I shall abide, remain; vacane — in the word, command; tava — your

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.