← 2.23.2 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 23: Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā · 2.23.4 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.3
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
2.23.3
vaidehī cāpi tat sarvaṃ na śuśrāva tapasvinī
tad eva hṛdi tasyāś ca yauvarājyābhiṣecanam
But the poor princess of Videha had heard nothing of all this; only that consecration to the heir-apparency was in her heart.
Words: vaidehī cāpi — and the princess of Videha too; tat sarvaṃ — all that; na śuśrāva — had not heard; tapasvinī — the poor woman; tad eva — that alone; hṛdi — in the heart; tasyāś ca — and of her; yauvarājyābhiṣecanam — the consecration to heir-apparency
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.