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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.24

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.

2.53.24

hā rāma rāmānuja hā hā vaidehi tapasvinī
na māṃ jānīta duḥkhena mriyamāṇam anāthavat
dustaro jīvatā devi mayāyaṃ śokasāgaraḥ

'Alas, Rāma! Alas, brother of Rāma! Alas, alas, hapless Vaidehī! You do not know that I am dying of grief, like one forlorn. Hard to cross, O queen, is this ocean of sorrow for me while I live.'

Words: hā — alas; rāma — O Rāma; rāmānuja — O younger brother of Rāma (Lakṣmaṇa); hā hā — alas, alas; vaidehi — O Vaidehī; tapasvinī — hapless one, poor lady; na — not; māṃ — me; jānīta — you (all) know; duḥkhena — of grief, with grief; mriyamāṇam — dying; anāthavat — like one forlorn; dustaro — hard to cross; jīvatā — by (me) living, while I live; devi — O queen; mayāyaṃ — by me this; śokasāgaraḥ — the ocean of sorrow

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.