← 2.99.18 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 99: Rāma explains Daśaratha’s obligations

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.99.19

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 99: Rāma explains Daśaratha’s obligations. The marriage pledge and wartime boons bind the succession, Bharata & Śatrughna must govern while Rāma & Lakṣmaṇa remain in the forest

In the sequence: Bharata will have the royal parasol, Rāma the shade of forest trees → with one brother helping each of them, all four can preserve Daśaratha's word.

2.99.19

śatrughnaḥ kuśalamatis tu te sahāyaḥ saumitrir mama viditaḥ pradhānamitram
catvāras tanayavarā vayaṃ narendraṃ satyasthaṃ bharata carāma mā viṣādam

Skilful-minded Śatrughna is your helper, and Saumitri (Lakṣmaṇa) is known as my chief friend; we four, the finest of sons, shall keep the king true to his word — grieve not, Bharata.

Words: śatrughnaḥ — Śatrughna; kuśalamatis — of skilful mind; tu — and; te sahāyaḥ — your helper; saumitrir — Saumitri (Lakṣmaṇa); mama — my; viditaḥ — known; pradhānamitram — chief friend; catvāras — four; tanayavarā — the finest of sons; vayaṃ — we; narendraṃ — the lord of men (the king); satyasthaṃ — established in truth; bharata — O Bharata; carāma — let us keep, render; mā viṣādam — grieve not

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.