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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.97.4

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 97: Bharata offers Rāma the Kingdom. Rāma absolves him of blame but insists that both brothers honour their father’s division between Kingdom and forest

In the sequence: Bharata recounts their father's grief and his mother's role in the disaster

2.97.4

ity uktaḥ kekayīputraḥ kākutsthena mahātmanā
pragṛhya balavad bhūyaḥ prāñjalir vākyam abravīt

Addressed thus by the great-souled Kākutstha, the son of Kaikeyī, controlling himself firmly, again with joined palms spoke these words:

Words: ity uktaḥ — thus addressed; kekayīputraḥ — the son of Kaikeyī; kākutsthena — by Kākutstha (Rāma); mahātmanā — by the great-souled; pragṛhya — having restrained (himself); balavad — firmly, strongly; bhūyaḥ — again; prāñjalir — with joined palms; vākyam — words; abravīt — spoke

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.