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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.31.23

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 31: A throne or one more night. Daśaratha urges Rāma to take the Kingdom, then begs him to stay overnight, Rāma refuses to delay the promise

In the sequence: Rāma asks permission for all three to leave, explaining that Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa cannot be persuaded to remain → Daśaratha replies that the boons have trapped him and urges Rāma to disregard him and become King

2.31.23

ahaṃ rāghava kaikeyyā varadānena mohitaḥ
ayodhyāyās tvam evādya bhava rājā nigṛhya mām

“O Rāghava, I have been deluded by the granting of boons to Kaikeyī; today, overruling me, do you yourself become king of Ayodhyā.”

Words: ahaṃ — I; rāghava — O Rāghava; kaikeyyā — by Kaikeyī; varadānena — by the granting of a boon; mohitaḥ — deluded, deceived; ayodhyāyās — of Ayodhyā; tvam — you; evādya — yourself today; bhava rājā — become king; nigṛhya mām — overruling me, restraining 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.