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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.54.16
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
2.54.16
nūpurodghuṣṭaheleva khelaṃ gacchati bhāminī
idānīm api vaidehī tadrāgā nyastabhūṣaṇā
“The lovely woman moves playfully, as though with the tinkling sport of anklets; even now the Videhan lady, though she has laid aside her ornaments, keeps that same charm.”
Words: nūpurodghuṣṭaheleva — as if with the sportive tinkling of anklets; khelaṃ — playfully, with a graceful gait; gacchati — goes, moves; bhāminī — the lovely woman; idānīm — now; api — even; vaidehī — the Videhan lady; tadrāgā — keeping that charm/love; nyastabhūṣaṇā — having laid aside her ornaments
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.