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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.37.18

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 37: Daśaratha loses sight of Rāma and rejects Kaikeyī. The chariot’s dust disappears, Daśaratha falls, rejects Kaikeyī’s touch and returns to Kausalyā as his sight fails

In the sequence: he returns through the city's deserted streets, saying he cannot live without him

2.37.18

sakāmā bhava kaikeyi vidhavā rājyam āvasa
na hi taṃ puruṣavyāghraṃ vinā jīvitum utsahe

Have your wish, Kaikeyī; as a widow, rule the kingdom; for without that tiger among men I have no strength to live.

Words: sakāmā — having your desire (fulfilled); bhava — be, become; kaikeyi — O Kaikeyī; vidhavā — a widow; rājyam — the kingdom; āvasa — dwell in, rule over; na hi — for not; taṃ — that; puruṣavyāghraṃ — tiger among men; vinā — without; jīvitum — to live; utsahe — I am able, I have strength

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.