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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.69.16

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 69: Kausalyā accepts Bharata’s innocence. Suspected of seeking the Kingdom, Bharata invokes curses on anyone who approved the exile and wins her trust

In the sequence: he solemnly calls down on whoever consented to the exile the consequences of injustice, betrayal, abandonment of dependents, failure to protect subjects, and neglect of parents and sacred duties

2.69.16

kārayitvā mahat karma bhartā bhṛtyam anarthakam
adharmo yo 'sya so 'syās tu yasyāryo 'numate gataḥ

May the sin of a master who, having had a servant perform a great task, then leaves him unrewarded be his—he at whose consent the noble one went forth.

Words: kārayitvā — having caused to do; mahat — great; karma — work, task; bhartā — master, employer; bhṛtyam — servant; anarthakam — unrewarded, to no purpose; adharmo — the sin, unrighteousness; yo — which; 'sya — is his (the servant's); so 'syās tu — let that be his; yasyāryo — he at whose... the noble one; 'numate — at the consent; gataḥ — went (into exile)

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.