Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 23: Lakṣmaṇa’s Arguments
Text 2.23.22

यैर्विवासस्तवारण्ये मिथो राजन्समर्थितः।
अरण्ये ते विवत्स्यन्ति चतुर्दशसमास्तथा॥

yair vivāsas tavāraṇye mitho rājan samarthitaḥ
araṇye te vivatsyanti catur-daśa samās tathā

yaiḥ = who; vivāsaḥ = to banish; tava = You; araṇye = to the forest; mithaḥ = secretly 2; rājan = O king; samarthitaḥ = resolved; araṇye = to the forest; te = those; vivatsyanti = will be banished; catur-daśa = for fourteen; samāḥ tathā = years!

O king, those who secretly resolved to banish You to the forest will be banished to the forest for fourteen years!1


 

Lakṣmaṇa says “O king” as if Rāma had already become the king.

1 Yaiḥ and te are Sanskrit words in the grammatical plural number indicating that Lakṣmaṇa is talking of at least three persons—Daśaratha, Kaikeyī and Bharata. He had already brought Bharata into this discussion in Chapter 21.