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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.69.6
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: believing the Kingdom is what he wanted, she reproaches him and asks to be sent to Rāma
2.69.6
bharataṃ pratyuvācedaṃ kausalyā bhṛśaduḥkhitā
idaṃ te rājyakāmasya rājyaṃ prāptam akaṇṭakam
saṃprāptaṃ bata kaikeyyā śīghraṃ krūreṇa karmaṇā
Kausalyā, deeply grieved, answered Bharata thus: “This thornless kingdom has come to you who longed for the kingdom; alas, it was swiftly secured by Kaikeyī through a cruel deed.”
Words: bharataṃ — to Bharata; pratyuvācedaṃ — answered this; kausalyā — Kausalyā; bhṛśaduḥkhitā — deeply grieved; idaṃ — this; te — to you; rājyakāmasya — who longs for the kingdom; rājyaṃ — kingdom; prāptam — obtained, come; akaṇṭakam — thornless, free of enemies; saṃprāptaṃ — secured, attained; bata — alas; kaikeyyā — by Kaikeyī; śīghraṃ — swiftly; krūreṇa — cruel; karmaṇā — by a deed
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.