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# The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki 2.66.26

Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa 2.66.26

- **Language:** Sanskrit

### [2.66.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.ramayana.valmiki.2.66.26)

yo me bhrātā pitā bandhur yasya dāso 'smi dhīmataḥ  
tasya māṃ śīghram ākhyāhi rāmasyākliṣṭa karmaṇaḥ

> 'This joyful hope my bosom fed  
> When from my grandsire's halls I sped--  
> 'The king will throne his eldest son,  
> And sacrifice, as should be done.'  
> But all is changed, my hope was vain,  
> And this sad heart is rent in twain,  
> For my dear father's face I miss,  
> Who ever sought his loved ones' bliss.  
> But in my absence, mother, say,  
> What sickness took my sire away?  
> Ah, happy Ráma, happy they  
> Allowed his funeral rites to pay!  
> The glorious monarch has not learned  
> That I his darling have returned,  
> Or quickly had he hither sped,  
> And pressed his kisses on my head.  
> Where is that hand whose gentle touch,  
> Most soft and kind I loved so much,  
> The hand that loved to brush away  
> The dust that on his darling lay?  
> Quick, bear the news to Ráma's ear;  
> Tell the great chief that I am here:  
> Brother, and sire, and friend, and all  
> Is he, and I his trusty thrall,  
> For noble hearts, to virtue true,  
> Their sires in elder brothers view.  
> To clasp his feet I fain would bow:  
> He is my hope and refuge now.  
> What said my glorious sire, who knew  
> Virtue and vice, so brave and true?  
> Firm in his vows, dear lady, say,  
> What said he ere he passed away?  
> What was his rede to me? I crave  
> To hear the last advice he gave.'  
> — Ralph T. H. Griffith 1870, The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse

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## Translations (1)

- [The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.ramayana.valmiki~en-griffith.2.72.p8) — Ralph T. H. Griffith 1870, English

## Other recensions (2)

- [Critical edition, Ayodhyā- and Araṇyakāṇḍa (revised e-text)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.ramayana.valmiki*crit-revised.2.66.26) — Sanskrit
- [Southern recension](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.ramayana.valmiki*southern.2.66.26) — Sanskrit

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Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.ramayana.valmiki.2.66.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.ramayana.valmiki.2.66.26) · Pramāṇa
