Shloka 2.20.35
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः — Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
सा राघवमुपासीनमसुखार्ता सुखोचिता।उवाच पुरुषव्याघ्रमुपशृण्वति लक्ष्मणे।।।।
sā rāghavam upāsīnam asukhārtā sukhocitā | uvāca puruṣavyāghram upaśṛṇvati lakṣmaṇe ||
Kausalyā—fit for happiness yet crushed by distress—spoke to Rāma, the best of men, as he sat near her, while Lakṣmaṇa listened.
Kausalya who deserved happiness yet was struck down by (this) distress spoke to Rama, the tiger among men who was sitting nearby, while Lakshmana was listening.
Dharma here is expressed through dignified speech in suffering: even in grief, Kausalyā addresses Rāma with honorific restraint, reflecting the Ramayana’s ideal of measured conduct (maryādā) amid crisis.
After the decision for Rāma’s exile, Kausalyā sits with him and begins her lament; Lakṣmaṇa remains present and listens.
Rāma’s stature as “puruṣavyāghra” (best among men) is foregrounded, implying steadiness and exemplary conduct even as his mother grieves.