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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.52.16

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 52: Sumantra reports the farewells. Rāma asks Bharata to care for the family, Lakṣmaṇa condemns the banishment and Sītā stands silently in tears

In the sequence: he adds Rāma's appeal for Bharata to honor all the mothers and their father, noting that Rāma himself was weeping as he spoke

2.52.16

vaktavyaś ca mahābāhur ikṣvākukulanandanaḥ
pitaraṃ yauvarājyastho rājyastham anupālaya

'And the mighty-armed delight of the Ikṣvāku line is to be told: "Set up as heir-apparent, cherish your father, seated on the throne."'

Words: vaktavyaś — is to be told; ca — and; mahābāhur — the mighty-armed; ikṣvākukulanandanaḥ — delight of the Ikṣvāku line; pitaraṃ — the father; yauvarājyastho — established as heir-apparent; rājyastham — established on the throne; anupālaya — cherish, protect

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.