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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.47.26

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 47: Rāma grieves and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return. Rāma fears for his parents and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return, Lakṣmaṇa refuses to leave him and steadies his resolve

In the sequence: although he could seize Ayodhyā by force, he refuses to do so at the cost of righteousness → he falls silent in tears

2.47.26

adharmabhaya bhītaś ca paralokasya cānagha
tena lakṣmaṇa nādyāham ātmānam abhiṣecaye

But fearing unrighteousness and the loss of the world beyond, O sinless one — for that reason, Lakṣmaṇa, I do not today consecrate myself as king.

Words: adharmabhaya — the danger of unrighteousness; bhītaś ca — and afraid; paralokasya — of the other world; cānagha — and O sinless one; tena — for that reason; lakṣmaṇa — O Lakṣmaṇa; nādyāham — not today do I; ātmānam — myself; abhiṣecaye — consecrate (as king)

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.