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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.82.19

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 82: Bharata examines the grass bed. Traces of Sītā’s gold and silk reveal where she slept, he vows to adopt forest life and offer himself in Rāma’s place

In the sequence: he worries about the Kingdom's lack of leadership, though he believes Rāma's reputation still deters enemies

2.82.19

akarṇadhārā pṛthivī śūnyeva pratibhāti mā
gate daśarathe svarge rāme cāraṇyam āśrite

With Daśaratha gone to heaven and Rāma withdrawn to the forest, the earth, left without a helmsman, appears to me as if empty.

Words: akarṇadhārā — without a helmsman; pṛthivī — the earth; śūnyeva — as if empty; pratibhāti — appears; mā — to me; gate — having gone; daśarathe — Daśaratha; svarge — to heaven; rāme — Rāma; cāraṇyam — and to the forest; āśrite — having resorted

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.