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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.23.30

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 regard Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna as a brother and a son, and to conduct herself without giving offense to Bharata.

2.23.30

bhrātṛputrasamau cāpi draṣṭavyau ca viśeṣataḥ
tvayā lakṣmaṇaśatrughnau prāṇaiḥ priyatarau mama

And Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna, dearer to me than my own breath, should be regarded by you especially as a brother and a son.

Words: bhrātṛputrasamau cāpi — and like a brother and a son (dual); draṣṭavyau ca — and to be regarded (dual); viśeṣataḥ — especially; tvayā — by you; lakṣmaṇaśatrughnau — Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna; prāṇaiḥ priyatarau — dearer than life (dual); mama — to me

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.