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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.21.4

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: Kausalyā imagines Rāma, raised in comfort, struggling to live on roots and fruit

2.21.4

ka etac chraddadhec chrutvā kasya vā na bhaved bhayam
guṇavān dayito rājño rāghavo yad vivāsyate

Who, hearing this, would believe it? In whom would fear not arise—that Rāghava, virtuous and dear to the king, is being driven into exile?

Words: ka — who; etac — this; chraddadhec — would believe; chrutvā — having heard; kasya — of whom; vā — or; na — not; bhaved — would be; bhayam — fear; guṇavān — virtuous, endowed with merits; dayito — beloved; rājño — of the king; rāghavo — Rāghava; yad — that; vivāsyate — is being banished

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.