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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.76.17

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 76: Bharata’s declaration to the assembly. He rejects the throne offered by Vasiṣṭha, declares Rāma the rightful ruler and orders Sumantra to prepare the expedition

In the sequence: he vows to use every means to bring Rāma back, even force in the presence of the elders; if he cannot turn him back, he will remain in the forest too

2.76.17

yadi tv āryaṃ na śakṣyāmi vinivartayituṃ vanāt
vane tatraiva vatsyāmi yathāryo lakṣmaṇas tathā

But if I cannot turn the noble one back from the forest, then I too will dwell there in that very forest, just as the noble Lakṣmaṇa does.

Words: yadi — if; tv — but; āryaṃ — the noble one (Rāma); na śakṣyāmi — I shall be unable; vinivartayituṃ — to turn back; vanāt — from the forest; vane — in the forest; tatraiva — in that very place; vatsyāmi — I will dwell; yathāryo — just as the noble one; lakṣmaṇas — Lakṣmaṇa; tathā — so

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.