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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.23

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: saying that he will die without another sight of him, he calls for all three travelers and faints again → Kausalyā watches in fear.

2.53.23

ato nu kiṃ duḥkhataraṃ yo 'ham ikṣvākunandanam
imām avasthām āpanno neha paśyāmi rāghavam

'What could be more grievous than this—that I, come to such a state, do not see here Rāghava, delight of the Ikṣvākus?'

Words: ato — than this; nu — indeed; kiṃ — what; duḥkhataraṃ — more grievous; yo 'ham — I who; ikṣvākunandanam — delight of the Ikṣvākus; imām — this; avasthām — state, condition; āpanno — come to, fallen into; neha — not here; paśyāmi — I see; rāghavam — Rāghava

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.