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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.24

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: he asks her to remain in Ayodhyā and avoid praising him before Bharata or challenging the new King's position

2.23.24

nāpi tvaṃ tena bhartavyā viśeṣeṇa kadā cana
anukūlatayā śakyaṃ samīpe tasya vartitum

Nor will you ever be specially maintained by him; only by compliance is it possible to live near him.

Words: nāpi — nor; tvaṃ — you; tena — by him; bhartavyā — to be maintained; viśeṣeṇa — especially; kadā cana — ever; anukūlatayā — by being compliant; śakyaṃ — it is possible; samīpe tasya — near him; vartitum — to live, remain

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.