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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.16

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

2.53.16

na suhṛdbhir na cāmātyair mantrayitvā na naigamaiḥ
mayāyam arthaḥ saṃmohāt strīhetoḥ sahasā kṛtaḥ

'Not consulting with friends, nor with ministers, nor with townsmen, I did this thing rashly, out of delusion, for a woman's sake.'

Words: na — not; suhṛdbhir — with friends; na — nor; cāmātyair — and with ministers; mantrayitvā — having consulted; na — nor; naigamaiḥ — with townsmen, citizens; mayāyam — by me this; arthaḥ — matter, thing; saṃmohāt — out of delusion; strīhetoḥ — for a woman's sake; sahasā — rashly, suddenly; kṛtaḥ — was done

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.