दश सप्त च वर्षाणि जातस्य तव राघव। अतीतानि प्रकासन्त्या मया दुःखपरिक्षयम्॥ तदक्षयं महदुःखं नोत्सहे सहितुं चिरात्। विप्रकारं सपत्नीनामेवं जीर्णापि राघव ॥
daśa sapta ca varṣāṇi jātasya tava rāghava| atītāni prakāsantyā mayā duḥkhaparikṣayam|| tadakṣayaṃ mahaduḥkhaṃ notsahe sahituṃ cirāt| viprakāraṃ sapatnīnāmevaṃ jīrṇāpi rāghava ||
English Meaning
I have spent, Oh Rāghava, ten years and seven from your (second) birth* birth* expecting a termination of my sorrow. Even though worn out, Oh Rāghava, shall not be able to suffer this great misery consequent upon your unending exile and the contempt of the co-wives. *Here the commentators differ in fixing the age of Rāma at the time of his going to the forest Rāma's age was under sixteen at the time of marriage, and after he has married to Sită he enjoyed her company for twelve years, when the proposal of installation was made. This makes totally age of twenty-seven. In the text ‘dasa sapta ca' (ten and seven) ten years fall short which are to be made up by taking into account the age of ten being left out, preceding Rāma's entering into the second birth which begins at maunjibandhana or initiation into the mysteries of the Vedic literature. Following the example of Bhāșyakāra Patañjali, the commentator, Rāmānuju, has in the sentence ‘daśa supta ca' supplied another (dasa) (ten) by means of ellipsis, thus giving an age of twentyseven. This, however, contradicts the statement of Sītā to Rāvana in guise of an anchorite, informing him of the age of her husband being twenty-five. A modern annotator with great ingenuity has devised ways to make up this discrepancy. The age of Rāma was under sixteen, when Visvamitra asked his assistance in destroying Taraka. 'Under sixteen' may mean fifteen or twelve as well. After marriage at twelve, Rāma enjoyed twelve years more the pleasure of home. This giving in total twenty-four, it is to be supposed that when he was exiled he stepped at twenty-five. The text dasa sapta ca' is correct, considering the age of eight being left out preceding his second birth at the initiation into the mysteries of the Veda.
— M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)