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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.28

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 tells her to continue worship and fasting, honor Daśaratha and all his Queens, and especially comfort Kausalyā

2.23.28

mātā ca mama kausalyā vṛddhā saṃtāpakarśitā
dharmam evāgrataḥ kṛtvā tvattaḥ saṃmānam arhati

And my mother Kausalyā, aged and wasted with grief, deserves honor from you, with dharma placed foremost.

Words: mātā ca mama — and my mother; kausalyā — Kausalyā; vṛddhā — aged; saṃtāpakarśitā — wasted with grief; dharmam evāgrataḥ — dharma foremost; kṛtvā — having placed; tvattaḥ — from you; saṃmānam — honor; arhati — deserves

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.