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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.29

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

2.23.29

vanditavyāś ca te nityaṃ yāḥ śeṣā mama mātaraḥ
snehapraṇayasaṃbhogaiḥ samā hi mama mātaraḥ

And you must always salute those who are my other mothers; for in affection, love, and companionship all my mothers are equal.

Words: vanditavyāś ca — and to be saluted; te — by you; nityaṃ — always; yāḥ śeṣā — who are the rest; mama mātaraḥ — my mothers; snehapraṇayasaṃbhogaiḥ — by affection, love, and companionship; samā hi — for equal; mama mātaraḥ — my mothers

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.