← 2.28.3 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 28: Lakṣmaṇa joins the exile · 2.28.5 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.28.4
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 28: Lakṣmaṇa joins the exile. He promises service to Rāma & Sītā and retrieves the paired bows, armour, quivers and swords from their teacher
In the sequence: When Lakṣmaṇa asks to accompany them, Rāma asks who will care for Kausalyā and Sumitrā: their father is overwhelmed, and Kaikeyī may not help them
2.28.4
sā hi rājyam idaṃ prāpya nṛpasyāśvapateḥ sutā
duḥkhitānāṃ sapatnīnāṃ na kariṣyati śobhanam
For she, the daughter of King Aśvapati, having gained this kingdom, will do nothing kind for her grieving co-wives.
Words: sā hi — for she; rājyam idaṃ — this kingdom; prāpya — having gained; nṛpasyāśvapateḥ — of King Aśvapati; sutā — the daughter; duḥkhitānāṃ — of the grieving; sapatnīnāṃ — co-wives; na — not; kariṣyati — will do; śobhanam — anything good, kindness
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.