← 2.69.19 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 69: Kausalyā accepts Bharata’s innocence · 2.69.21 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.69.20
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
2.69.20
hastyaśvarathasaṃbādhe yuddhe śastrasamākule
mā sma kārṣīt satāṃ dharmaṃ yasyāryo 'numate gataḥ
In a battle thronged with elephants, horses and chariots and teeming with weapons, may he never do the duty of the brave—he at whose consent the noble one went forth.
Words: hastyaśvarathasaṃbādhe — thronged with elephants, horses and chariots; yuddhe — in battle; śastrasamākule — teeming with weapons; mā sma kārṣīt — let him never do; satāṃ — of the good, the brave; dharmaṃ — the duty; yasyāryo — he at whose... the noble one; 'numate — at the consent; gataḥ — went (into exile)
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.