Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 40: Rāma Departs from Ayodhyā
Text 2.40.51
यमिच्छेत्पुनरायान्तं नैनं दूरमनुव्रजेत्।
इत्यमात्या महाराजमूचुर्दशरथं वचः॥
yam icchet punar āyāntaṁ nainaṁ dūram anuvrajet
ity amātyā mahā-rājam ūcur daśarathaṁ vacaḥ
yam = a person; icchet = if one wants; punaḥ āyāntam = to return; na = not; enam = him; dūram = for a long distance; anuvrajet iti = he should follow; amātyāḥ = the ministers; mahā-rājam = Mahārāja; ūcuḥ daśaratham vacaḥ = told Daśaratha.
The ministers told Mahārāja Daśaratha, “If one wants a person to return, he should not follow him for a long distance.”
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: kālocita-kartavyajñāḥ sacivāḥ.
Secretaries are those who know what is to be done according to the circumstance.1 They stopped the king by speaking out the teaching of śāstra here.