Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 22: Rāma Instructs Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.22.7
तस्याः शङ्कामयं दुःखं मुहूर्तमपि नोत्सहे।
मनसि प्रतिसञ्जातं सौमित्रेऽहमुपेक्षितुम्॥
tasyāḥ śaṅkāmayaṁ duḥkhaṁ muhūrtam api notsahe
manasi pratisañjātaṁ saumitre ’ham upekṣitum
tasyāḥ = her; śaṅkāmayam = due to fear; duḥkham = any distress; muhūrtam = for a moment; api = even; na = not; utsahe = do wish; manasi pratisañjātam = in mind; saumitre = Lakṣmaṇa; aham = I; upekṣitum = to be indifferent.
Lakṣmaṇa, I don’t wish to be indifferent to any distress in her mind due to fear for even a moment.
1 Rāma’s statements in text 6 and 7 can apply to both of His mothers, Kaikeyī and Kausalyā, in different ways. There is nothing strange in this because Lord Rāma honored all of His mothers equally, as noted later on in this very Canto.
GLOSS. [The glossator interprets texts 6 and 7 to be a discussion about Queen Kausalyā.]1 Rāma did not wish to be indifferent to any distress in Kausalyā-devī’s mind due to fear while thinking, “Will Rāma come back alive or not?”