Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 22: Rāma Instructs Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.22.17
जानासि हि यथा सौम्य न मातृषु ममान्तरम्।
भूतपूर्वं विशेषो वा तस्या मयि सुतेऽपि वा॥
jānāsi hi yathā saumya na mātṛṣu mamāntaram
bhūta-pūrvaṁ viśeṣo vā tasyā mayi sute ’pi vā
jānāsi = You know; hi = certainly; yathā = how; saumya = gentle Lakṣmaṇa; na = never; mātṛṣu = among My mothers; mama = I; antaram bhūta-pūrvam = discriminated 3; viśeṣaḥ = discriminate; vā = nor; tasyāḥ = did she; mayi = between Me; sute = her son Bharata; api vā = and.
Gentle Lakṣmaṇa, You certainly know how I never discriminated among My mothers, nor did she discriminate between Me and her son Bharata.