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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.54.15

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 54: Sumantra comforts Kausalyā. He describes Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s curiosity about the forest, but Kausalyā’s grief persists

In the sequence: he says she remains unafraid under Rāma's protection

2.54.15

alaktarasaraktābhāv alaktarasavarjitau
adyāpi caraṇau tasyāḥ padmakośasamaprabhau

“Even now her two feet, ruddy as if reddened with lac-dye though bare of any lac, shine bright as the calyx of a lotus.”

Words: alaktarasaraktābhāv — ruddy as if dyed with lac-juice; alaktarasavarjitau — yet devoid of lac-dye; adyāpi — even now; caraṇau — the (two) feet; tasyāḥ — her, of her; padmakośasamaprabhau — bright as a lotus-calyx

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.