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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.33.3
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 33: Bark garments over Sītā’s silk. Rāma declines royal provisions and helps Sītā fasten her bark clothing, Daśaratha protests her humiliation
In the sequence: Rāma declines the escort: after giving up the Kingdom, retaining its luxuries would make no sense
2.33.3
yo hi dattvā dvipaśreṣṭhaṃ kakṣyāyāṃ kurute manaḥ
rajjusnehena kiṃ tasya tyajataḥ kuñjarottamam
For the man who, having given away his finest elephant, then sets his heart upon its girth-rope—what use has he, who parts with the noblest elephant, for fondness over a rope?
Words: yo — who; hi — for, indeed; dattvā — having given away; dvipaśreṣṭhaṃ — the best of elephants; kakṣyāyāṃ — on the girth-rope, tether; kurute — sets, makes; manaḥ — mind, heart; rajjusnehena — with fondness for the rope; kiṃ — what (use); tasya — to him; tyajataḥ — who gives up; kuñjarottamam — the best elephant
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.