Valmiki Ramayana 2.20.49: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 49
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः · Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
स्थिरं तु हृदयं मन्ये ममेदं यन्न दीर्यते ।
प्रावृषीव महानद्या स्पृष्टं कूलं नवाम्भसा ॥४९॥
sthiraṃ tu hṛdayaṃ manye mamedaṃ yan na dīryate |
prāvṛṣi iva mahānadyā spṛṣṭaṃ kūlaṃ navāmbhasā ||49||
Aku menyangka hatiku ini sungguh keras, kerana ia belum juga hancur—seperti tebing sungai besar pada musim hujan, dihentam limpahan air bah yang baru namun tidak runtuh.
I think my heart must be very firm (hard) like the bark of a great river which, touched by (a flood of) fresh water in the rainy season does not disintegrate.
FAQs
Dharma includes steadfastness under pressure; the verse portrays endurance as a moral capacity, even when one feels it as numbness.
In overwhelming grief, Kausalyā marvels that her heart has not shattered, using a vivid riverbank metaphor.
Fortitude—she continues to stand despite repeated emotional ‘floods’ of suffering.
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