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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.81.16

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 81: Rāma and Sītā’s grass bed. Guha shows Bharata where they slept after taking only water, while Lakṣmaṇa and the Niṣādas kept watch

In the sequence: Guha explains that Rāma politely refused his abundant food, saying that a warrior should give rather than accept gifts

2.81.16

na hy asmābhiḥ pratigrāhyaṃ sakhe deyaṃ tu sarvadā
iti tena vayaṃ rājann anunītā mahātmanā

‘We must never accept, friend, but must ever give’ — with these words, O king, we were won over by that great-souled one.

Words: na hy — for not; asmābhiḥ — by us; pratigrāhyaṃ — to be accepted; sakhe — O friend; deyaṃ — to be given; tu — but; sarvadā — always; iti — thus; tena — by him; vayaṃ — we; rājann — O king; anunītā — won over, conciliated; mahātmanā — the great-souled

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.