Valmiki Ramayana 2.60.3: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 60, Shloka 3

षष्टितमः सर्गः · Kausalyā’s Lament and Sumantra’s Consolation

Sītā’s Fearless Forest-Life

Spoken by Kausalya to SumantraSetting: Ayodhya (implied, royal precincts/roadway)Places named: Daṇḍaka (Dandaka forest), Yama’s abode (Yamaloka)Attempt to reverse departure toward exile route

Devanagari script

निवर्तय रथं शीघ्रं दण्डकान्नय मामपि ।

अथ तान्नानुगच्छामि गमिष्यामि यमक्षयम् ॥३॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.60.3

Transliteration

nivartaya rathaṃ śīghraṃ daṇḍakān naya mām api |

atha tān nānugacchāmi gamiṣyāmi yamakṣayam ||3||

Translation

Pusingkanlah kereta ini segera, dan bawalah aku juga ke rimba Dandaka. Jika aku tidak mengikuti mereka, maka aku akan pergi ke alam Yama, yakni kematian.

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Word by Word

• nivartaya: turn back
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (Imperative), Parasmaipada, Madhyama-puruṣa, Singular; causative sense in usage 'turn back'
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• ratham: the chariot
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumlinga, Accusative, Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• śīghram: quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (अव्ययवत्/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial accusative used as avyaya (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Role: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)

• daṇḍakān: to Dandaka (region)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumlinga, Accusative, Plural; destination as object with naya
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• naya: take/lead
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (Imperative), Parasmaipada, Madhyama-puruṣa, Singular
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• mām: me
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative, Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• api: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (समुच्चय/अपि)
• Role: Nipāta (निपात)

• atha: then/if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle; conditional/sequential (अथ)
• Role: Nipāta (निपात)

• tān: them
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumlinga, Accusative, Plural
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation
• Role: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)

• anugacchāmi: I follow
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu + gam (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Parasmaipada, Uttama-puruṣa, Singular
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• gamiṣyāmi: I shall go
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ (लुट्, Periphrastic future) / commonly treated as simple future sense, Uttama-puruṣa, Singular, Parasmaipada
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• yamakṣayam: to Yama's abode
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: yamasya kṣayaḥ (abode/realm of Yama); Pumlinga, Accusative, Singular
• Role: Gati/Karma (कर्म)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

Sandhi Notes

• daṇḍakān naya = daṇḍakān + naya
• tānnānugacchāmi = tān + na + anugacchāmi

Context

'Turn back your chariot immediately and take me to the Dandaka forest. If I do not follow them, I shall enter the world of Yama'.

The teaching

Unchecked attachment in separation can drive one toward adharma (self-harm); counsel and steadiness are needed to return to dharma.

Duties in tension

• Maternal duty to protect and accompany Rama
• Royal decorum and duty to remain in Ayodhya
• Acceptance of fate vs self-destructive impulse

Ethical theme

Family duty vs self-control (ātma-saṃyama)

How it resolves

Unresolved in verse (emotional ultimatum)

For your practice

Meditation on impermanence and the need for steadiness (dhairya) amid separation; cultivate śaraṇāgati rather than despair.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Karuna (compassion), with Bhayanaka (fear)

Mood

Desperate, pleading, death-haunted

Themes

• Dharma
• Satya
• Grief
• Resolve
• Exile-context

Symbolism

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Dandaka forest (Daṇḍaka)
• Yama

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

It underscores the sincerity of commitment: Kausalya’s words show that for her, life’s meaning is inseparable from righteous kinship. The verse also reflects the human cost borne by families when dharma-driven vows (like exile) are upheld.

What is the narrative situation?

Kausalya urges Sumantra to reverse the chariot and bring her to the forest, expressing that failing to follow Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana would be tantamount to death for her.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Intensity of devotion and truthfulness of emotion—her grief becomes a firm, uncompromising resolve.