Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 23: Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā · 2.23.2 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.1

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 23: Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā. Rāma reveals the exile and asks Sītā to respect Bharata’s authority, honour the Queens and care for his grieving parents

In the sequence: Sītā has been worshipping and waiting for the abhiṣeka, unaware of the reversal

2.23.1

abhivādya tu kausalyāṃ rāmaḥ saṃprasthito vanam
kṛtasvastyayano mātrā dharmiṣṭhe vartmani sthitaḥ

Having saluted Kausalyā, Rāma set out for the forest; the benediction performed for him by his mother, he stood firm on the most righteous path.

Words: abhivādya tu — having saluted; kausalyāṃ — Kausalyā; rāmaḥ — Rāma; saṃprasthito — set out; vanam — to the forest; kṛtasvastyayano — for whom the benediction was performed; mātrā — by his mother; dharmiṣṭhe — on the most righteous; vartmani — path; sthitaḥ — standing, established

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.