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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.47.3

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: Without Sumantra now, Rāma tells Lakṣmaṇa that they must share the task of guarding Sītā and make their own bedding

2.47.3

jāgartavyam atandribhyām adya prabhṛti rātriṣu
yogakṣemo hi sītāyā vartate lakṣmaṇāvayoḥ

From this day on we two must keep watch unwearied through the nights; for the safety and welfare of Sītā, Lakṣmaṇa, rests upon us both.

Words: jāgartavyam — watch must be kept; atandribhyām — by the two unwearied ones; adya prabhṛti — from today onward; rātriṣu — in the nights; yogakṣemo — welfare and security; hi — for; sītāyā — of Sītā; vartate — rests, depends; lakṣmaṇāvayoḥ — O Lakṣmaṇa, upon us two

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.