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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.34.25

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 34: Farewell to the Queens. Daśaratha orders the chariot and supplies for Sītā, Kausalyā counsels her and Rāma takes leave of his father’s wives

In the sequence: Sītā assures her that she understands her commitment and will not abandon it in adversity → Kausalyā weeps with both sorrow and relief

2.34.25

nātantrī vādyate vīṇā nācakro vartate rathaḥ
nāpatiḥ sukham edhate yā syād api śatātmajā

A lute without strings cannot be played, a chariot without wheels cannot run; and a woman without a husband cannot thrive in happiness, even were she the mother of a hundred sons.

Words: nātantrī — not stringless; vādyate — is played; vīṇā — the lute; nācakro — not wheelless; vartate — moves, runs; rathaḥ — the chariot; nāpatiḥ — a woman without a husband, not; sukham — happily, in happiness; edhate — thrives, prospers; yā — who; syād api — even though she be; śatātmajā — mother of a hundred sons

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.