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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.21.8

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 says she will follow him like a cow following her calf → Rāma replies that Daśaratha may not survive if she abandons him too

2.21.8

kaikeyyā vañcito rājā mayi cāraṇyam āśrite
bhavatyā ca parityakto na nūnaṃ vartayiṣyati

The king, deceived by Kaikeyī, when I have gone to the forest and been forsaken by you as well, will surely not survive.

Words: kaikeyyā — by Kaikeyī; vañcito — deceived; rājā — the king; mayi — when I (loc. abs.); cāraṇyam — and the forest; āśrite — have resorted to (loc. abs.); bhavatyā — by you (respectful); ca — and; parityakto — abandoned; na — not; nūnaṃ — surely; vartayiṣyati — will survive, live on

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.