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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.36.4

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 36: Ayodhyā falls into mourning. Palace women lament, offerings and daily activity cease, animals refuse food and the city loses its joy

In the sequence: The palace women lament the departure of the person who protected them and treated them kindly

2.36.4

kausalyāyāṃ mahātejā yathā mātari vartate
tathā yo vartate 'smāsu mahātmā kva nu gacchati

The mighty and great-souled one who behaves toward us just as he behaves toward his mother Kausalyā — where indeed does he go?

Words: kausalyāyāṃ — toward Kausalyā; mahātejā — the mighty, of great splendour; yathā — as, just as; mātari — toward the mother; vartate — behaves, acts; tathā — so, thus; yo — who; vartate — behaves; 'smāsu — toward us; mahātmā — the great-souled; kva — where; nu — indeed; gacchati — goes

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.