Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 45
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः
Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
दश सप्त च वर्षाणि जातस्य तव राघवअतितानि प्रकाङ्क्षन्त्या मया दुःखपरिक्षयम्।।।।
daśa sapta ca varṣāṇi jātasya tava rāghava atītāni prakāṅkṣantyā mayā duḥkhaparikṣayam ||
হে রাঘব! তোমার যৌবন-প্রাপ্তির পর সতেরো বছর অতিক্রান্ত হয়েছে; এতদিন আমি দুঃখের অবসান কামনা করে ব্যাকুল হয়ে দিন কাটিয়েছি।
O Rama, I have spent the last seventeen years after your birth with the expectaion that my sorrows would come to an end.
FAQs
The verse reflects steadfastness (dhṛti) in adversity—enduring suffering while holding to rightful hopes rather than turning to wrongdoing.
Kausalyā recalls the long period during which she hoped Rāma’s maturity and future kingship would end her grief, only to see that hope shattered by the exile order.
Perseverance and maternal devotion—she has endured years of pain sustained by faith in her son’s destiny.