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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.54.17
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
2.54.17
gajaṃ vā vīkṣya siṃhaṃ vā vyāghraṃ vā vanam āśritā
nāhārayati saṃtrāsaṃ bāhū rāmasya saṃśritā
“Dwelling in the forest, even on catching sight of an elephant or a lion or a tiger, she feels no terror, sheltered in Rāma's arms.”
Words: gajaṃ — an elephant; vā — or; vīkṣya — having seen, on sighting; siṃhaṃ — a lion; vā — or; vyāghraṃ — a tiger; vā — or; vanam — the forest; āśritā — resorting to, dwelling in; nāhārayati — does not entertain, take on; saṃtrāsaṃ — terror, fright; bāhū — the (two) arms; rāmasya — of Rāma; saṃśritā — having taken shelter in, clinging to
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.