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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.96.20

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 96: The mothers reach Rāma’s hut. Kausalyā grieves over Daśaratha’s humble offering, the mothers greet Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa & Sītā and the assembly gathers

In the sequence: Kausalyā embraces Sītā and grieves over the effect of forest life on her

2.96.20

tāṃ pariṣvajya duḥkhārtāṃ mātā duhitaraṃ yathā
vanavāsakṛśāṃ dīnāṃ kausalyā vākyam abravīt

Embracing her—pained with grief, wretched, and worn thin by forest life—as a mother embraces a daughter, Kausalyā spoke these words:

Words: tāṃ — her; pariṣvajya — having embraced; duḥkhārtāṃ — pained with grief; mātā — a mother; duhitaraṃ — a daughter; yathā — as; vanavāsakṛśāṃ — worn thin by forest life; dīnāṃ — wretched; kausalyā — Kausalyā; vākyam — words; abravīt — spoke

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.