Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 53: Daśaratha’s remorse · 2.53.2 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.1

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 53: Daśaratha’s remorse. Sumantra describes the horses’ reluctance and the country’s grief, Daśaratha regrets his uncounselled decision and begs to see Rāma

In the sequence: Sumantra says that even the horses resisted leaving and that he lingered with Guha hoping Rāma might recall him

2.53.1

mama tv aśvā nivṛttasya na prāvartanta vartmani
uṣṇam aśru vimuñcanto rāme saṃprasthite vanam

'But as I turned back, my horses would not go forward on the road, shedding hot tears now that Rāma had set out for the forest.'

Words: mama — my; tv — but; aśvā — the horses; nivṛttasya — of (me) turning back; na — not; prāvartanta — went forward, moved on; vartmani — on the road, path; uṣṇam — hot; aśru — tears; vimuñcanto — shedding; rāme — when Rāma (loc. abs.); saṃprasthite — had set out (loc. abs.); vanam — to the forest

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.