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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.98.10

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 98: Bharata’s appeal and Rāma’s answer. Bharata asks him to restore the Kingdom, Rāma teaches the inevitability of loss, separation and death

In the sequence: he asks Rāma to let those who depend on him receive the benefit of his abilities and describes the welcome awaiting him in Ayodhyā

2.98.10

eṣopamā mahābāho tvam arthaṃ vettum arhasi
yadi tvam asmān ṛṣabho bhartā bhṛtyān na śādhi hi

This is a simile, O mighty-armed one; you ought to grasp its meaning: if you, our bull and lord, do not rule us your dependents [you are like that fruitless tree].

Words: eṣopamā — this is the simile; mahābāho — O mighty-armed one; tvam — you; arthaṃ — the meaning; vettum arhasi — ought to understand; yadi tvam — if you; asmān — us; ṛṣabho — (our) bull, chief; bhartā — lord, supporter; bhṛtyān — (your) dependents; na śādhi hi — do not indeed rule

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.