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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.76.18

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

2.76.18

sarvopāyaṃ tu vartiṣye vinivartayituṃ balāt
samakṣam ārya miśrāṇāṃ sādhūnāṃ guṇavartinām

By every means I will strive to bring him back, even by force, in the presence of the venerable, good men who live by virtue.

Words: sarvopāyaṃ — by every means; tu — indeed; vartiṣye — I will act, strive; vinivartayituṃ — to turn (him) back; balāt — by force; samakṣam — in the presence of, before the eyes of; ārya miśrāṇāṃ — of the venerable ones; sādhūnāṃ — of the good; guṇavartinām — living by virtue

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.