Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 20: Kausalyā’s Lamentation
Text 2.20.8
रामस्तु भृशमायस्तो निश्वसन्निव कुञ्जरः।
जगाम सहितो भ्रात्रा मातुरन्तः पुरं वशी॥
rāmas tu bhṛśam āyasto niśvasann iva kuñjaraḥ
jagāma sahito bhrātrā mātur antaḥ-puraṁ vaśī
rāmaḥ tu = Rāma; bhṛśam = extremely; āyastaḥ = [upon hearing their laments] became anguished in heart; niśvasan = and sighed; iva = like; kuñjaraḥ = an elephant; jagāma = He went; sahitaḥ = with; bhrātrā = His brother Lakṣmaṇa; mātuḥ = to His mother’s; antaḥ-puram = inner quarters; vaśī = controlling His senses.
[Upon hearing their laments,] Rāma became extremely anguished in heart and sighed like an elephant. Controlling His senses, He went to His mother’s inner quarters with His brother Lakṣmaṇa.
Lord Rāma became extremely anguished on hearing the sorrowful lamentation in the inner quarters. This is because He possesses the following characteristic:
vyasaneṣu manuṣyāṇāṁ bhṛśaṁ bhavati duḥkhitaḥ
“He becomes greatly distressed upon [seeing] people’s calamities.” (Rāmāyaṇa 2.2.41)
He sighed like an elephant for He was unable to relieve the distress of the distressed.