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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.14

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: Daśaratha admits that he acted under Kaikeyī's influence without consulting his ministers, friends, or subjects

2.53.14

sūtasya vacanaṃ śrutvā vācā paramadīnayā
bāṣpopahatayā rājā taṃ sūtam idam abravīt

Hearing the charioteer's words, the king, in a voice most wretched and broken with tears, said this to the charioteer:

Words: sūtasya — of the charioteer; vacanaṃ — the words; śrutvā — having heard; vācā — with a voice; paramadīnayā — most wretched; bāṣpopahatayā — broken, choked with tears; rājā — the king; taṃ — that; sūtam — charioteer; idam — this; abravīt — spoke

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.