अथापि किंजीवितमद्य मे वृथा त्वया विना चन्द्रनिभाननप्रभ।
अनुव्रजिष्यामि वनं त्वयैव गौः सुदुर्बला वत्समिवानुकाङ्क्षया॥
y
athāpi kiṁ-jīvitam adya me vṛthā
tvayā vinā candra-nibhānana-prabha
anuvrajiṣyāmi vanaṁ tvayaiva gauḥ
sudurbalā vatsam ivānukāṅkṣayā
atha api = even otherwise; kim-jīvitam = life is wretched; adya = now; me = my; vṛthā = and useless; tvayā = You; vinā = without; candra-nibha-ānana-prabha = Rāma, Your face is as brilliant as the moon; anuvrajiṣyāmi = I will follow; vanam = to the forest; tvayā eva = You; gauḥ = cow; sudurbalā = a very weak; vatsam = [follows] its calf; iva = just as; anukāṅkṣayā = out of affection.
Even otherwise, my life is now wretched without You. Rāma, Your face is as brilliant as the moon. I will follow You to the forest just as a very weak and useless cow [follows] its calf out of affection.
“Even otherwise” means “even in the absence of my untimely death.” Kausalyā compares herself to a very weak cow, that is, a weak-minded cow,