Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 53: Rāma Requests Lakṣmaṇa to Return to Ayodhyā
Text 2.53.24
अल्पभाग्या हि मे माता कौसल्या रहिता मया।
शेते परमदुःखार्ता पतिता शोकसागरे॥
alpa-bhāgyā hi me mātā kausalyā rahitā mayā
śete parama-duḥkhārtā patitā śoka-sāgare
alpa-bhāgyā hi = of meager good fortune; me = My; mātā = mother; kausalyā = Kausalyā; rahitā mayā = without Me; śete = is sleeping [now]; parama-duḥkhārtā = anguished in extreme distress; patitā = she has fallen; śoka-sāgare = into an ocean of sorrow.
My mother Kausalyā of meager good fortune is sleeping [now], anguished in extreme distress without Me. She has fallen into an ocean of sorrow.
Rāma states here that she is not just not benefited by Him—she is also in distress because of Him.
Then why can’t Rāma assail [His father’s] kingdom to remove His mother’s distress? That is answered in the next two verses.