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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.31.36
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: he reassures his father that preserving his truth matters more than Kingship, pleasure, or life, and that he will find happiness among the forest's rivers and mountains.
2.31.36
tad adya naivānagha rājyam avyayaṃ na sarvakāmān na sukhaṃ na maithilīm
na jīvitaṃ tvām anṛtena yojayan vṛṇīya satyaṃ vratam astu te tathā
Therefore today, O sinless one, by involving you in falsehood I would choose neither the imperishable kingdom, nor all pleasures, nor happiness, nor the Maithilī, nor even life; let your vow of truth so stand.
Words: tad adya — therefore today; naivānagha — not (choosing), O sinless one; rājyam avyayaṃ — the imperishable kingdom; na sarvakāmān — nor all pleasures; na sukhaṃ — nor happiness; na maithilīm — nor the Maithilī; na jīvitaṃ — nor life; tvām anṛtena yojayan — involving you in falsehood; vṛṇīya — I would choose; satyaṃ vratam — the vow of truth; astu te tathā — let it so be for you
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.