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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.98.4
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: Bharata argues that if the Kingdom was given to him, he can now give it to Rāma → he says the responsibility is too great for him and compares the Kingdom to a breached embankment that only Rāma can repair
2.98.4
sāntvitā māmikā mātā dattaṃ rājyam idaṃ mama
tad dadāmi tavaivāhaṃ bhuṅkṣva rājyam akaṇṭakam
“My mother has been appeased; this kingdom has been given to me. That very kingdom I give to you alone—enjoy it, free of all opposition.
Words: sāntvitā — appeased, consoled; māmikā — my; mātā — mother; dattaṃ — given; rājyam idaṃ — this kingdom; mama — to me; tad — that; dadāmi — I give; tavaivāhaṃ — I ... to you alone; bhuṅkṣva — enjoy; rājyam — the kingdom; akaṇṭakam — free of thorns, unopposed
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.