O Lakshmana, though Lanka is decked in gold, I do not feel any great liking for it. The pull of one’s mother and motherland are so great that even heaven cannot compete with it.
[Rama, prince of Ayodhya, tells these words to his brother, Lakshmana, when he sets out to battle with Ravana, the king of Lanka]
api svarNamayI lankA na mE lakSHmaNa rOchate / jananI janmabhUmishcha svargAdhapi garIyasI //
अपि स्वर्णमयी लङ्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते / जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी //
