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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.8.16
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 8: Mantharā turns Kaikeyī’s mind. Kaikeyī defends Rāma, Mantharā argues that his descendants will exclude Bharata’s line and urges Rāma’s exile
In the sequence: Mantharā argues that Rāma's own son will succeed him, shutting Bharata's branch out of the royal line
2.8.16
asāv atyantanirbhagnas tava putro bhaviṣyati
anāthavat sukhebhyaś ca rājavaṃśāc ca vatsale
That son of yours will be utterly cast down, O tender one, shut off like a helpless orphan from all comforts and from the royal line.
Words: asāv — that one; atyantanirbhagnas — utterly cast down, ruined; tava putro — your son; bhaviṣyati — will be; anāthavat — like one without a protector; sukhebhyaś ca — and from comforts; rājavaṃśāc ca — and from the royal line; vatsale — O tender, affectionate one
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.