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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.21.17
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: Rāma, now also weeping, assures her that Bharata will treat her kindly and asks her to prevent their father from being overwhelmed by grief
2.21.17
tāṃ tathā rudatīṃ rāmo rudan vacanam abravīt
jīvantyā hi striyā bhartā daivataṃ prabhur eva ca
bhavatyā mama caivādya rājā prabhavati prabhuḥ
To her weeping thus, Rāma, weeping himself, spoke these words: 'For a woman while she lives the husband is her god and her lord; and today, over you and over me, the king holds sway as master.'
Words: tāṃ — to her; tathā — thus; rudatīṃ — weeping; rāmo — Rāma; rudan — weeping (himself); vacanam — words; abravīt — spoke; jīvantyā — for (a woman) while living; hi — indeed; striyā — for a woman; bhartā — husband; daivataṃ — deity, god; prabhur — lord; eva — indeed; ca — and; bhavatyā — over you; mama — over me; caivādya — and today; rājā — the king; prabhavati — holds sway, has power; prabhuḥ — as master, lord
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.