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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.51.20
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 51: Sumantra returns to Ayodhyā. Citizens surround the empty chariot, news of Rāma’s crossing renews their grief and Daśaratha collapses on receiving his message
In the sequence: he delivers Rāma's message to Daśaratha, who collapses
2.51.20
sa praviśyāṣṭamīṃ kakṣyāṃ rājānaṃ dīnam ātulam
putraśokaparidyūnam apaśyat pāṇḍare gṛhe
Entering the eighth courtyard, he saw the king—wretched and without peer—worn out with grief for his son, in the white palace.
Words: sa — he; praviśyāṣṭamīṃ — having entered the eighth; kakṣyāṃ — courtyard; rājānaṃ — the king; dīnam — wretched, miserable; ātulam — without peer, unequalled; putraśokaparidyūnam — worn out with grief for his son; apaśyat — saw; pāṇḍare — white, pale; gṛhe — in the house, palace
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.