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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.25

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

2.23.25

ahaṃ cāpi pratijñāṃ tāṃ guroḥ samanupālayan
vanam adyaiva yāsyāmi sthirā bhava manasvini

And I too, keeping that promise of my father, will go to the forest this very day; be steadfast, O noble-minded one.

Words: ahaṃ cāpi — and I too; pratijñāṃ tāṃ — that promise; guroḥ — of my elder (father); samanupālayan — keeping, observing; vanam — to the forest; adyaiva — this very day; yāsyāmi — I shall go; sthirā bhava — be steadfast; manasvini — O noble-minded one

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.