← 2.82.22 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 82: Bharata examines the grass bed · 2.82.24 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.82.23
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 vows to sleep on the ground, eat forest food, and wear bark and matted hair himself
2.82.23
adya prabhṛti bhūmau tu śayiṣye 'haṃ tṛṇeṣu vā
phalamūlāśano nityaṃ jaṭācīrāṇi dhārayan
From this day forward I too will sleep on the ground or on grass, ever eating fruits and roots, wearing matted locks and bark garments.
Words: adya — today; prabhṛti — from ... onward; bhūmau — on the ground; tu — indeed; śayiṣye — I will sleep; 'haṃ — I; tṛṇeṣu — on grass; vā — or; phalamūlāśano — eating fruits and roots; nityaṃ — always; jaṭācīrāṇi — matted locks and bark garments; dhārayan — wearing
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.