मया विहीनां वरद प्रपन्नां शोकसागरम्।
अदृष्टपूर्वव्यसनां भूयः सम्मन्तुमर्हसि॥
पुत्रशोकं यथा नर्च्छेत्त्वया पूज्येन पूजिता
मां हि सञ्चिन्तयन्तीयमपि जीवेत्तपस्विनी॥
mayā vihīnāṁ varada prapannāṁ śoka-sāgaram
adṛṣṭa-pūrva-vyasanāṁ bhūyaḥ sammantum arhasi
putra-śokaṁ yathā na rcchet tvayā pūjyena pūjitā
māṁ hi sañcintayantīyam api jīvet tapasvinī
mayā = of Me; vihīnām = upon being deprived; varada = O bestower of boons; prapannām = her, who has attained; śoka-sāgaram = an ocean of sorrow; adṛṣṭa-pūrva-vyasanām = she is in an unprecedented calamity; bhūyaḥ = even more; sammantum = honor; arhasi = you should; putra-śokam = anxious for her son; yathā = in such a manner that; na = not; ṛcchet = she does become; tvayā = by you; pūjyena = who are honorable; pūjitā = honored; mām hi = about Me; sañcintayantī = her constant worries; iyam = this; api = despite; jīvet = let live; tapasvinī = austere lady.
O bestower of boons, you should honor her, who has attained an ocean of sorrow upon being deprived of Me, in such a manner that she does not become even more anxious for her son. She is in an unprecedented calamity. Let this austere lady, honored by you who are honorable, live, despite her constant worries about Me.
Kausalyā-devī was honored as the chief wife of King Daśaratha even in the past. [But] Lord Rāma implies that [from] now [onwards], she should be honored even more because of His request.
In some manuscripts, text 17 appears as:
na mac-chokād yathā naśyet tvayā pūjyena pūjitā
māṁ hi sañcintayantīyaṁ tvayi jīvet tapasvinī
“[You should honor her even more] in such a manner that she does not perish due to her anxiety about Me. Honored by you who are honorable, let this austere lady live on by depending on your affectionate care, despite her constant worries about Me.”
[Lord Rāmacandra wanted His father to ensure that] Queen Kausalyā, absorbed in worries about Him and afflicted by the distress of [being separated from] Him did not perish, that she survived by depending on him, being honored by him.
GLOSS. Sammantum indicates that Rāma wanted Daśaratha to pacify Kausalyā-devī [in His absence].