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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.34.6

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 34: Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Himavat’s two daughters. Himavat gives Gaṅgā to the Devas for the worlds’ welfare, while Umā undertakes austerity and marries Śiva

In the sequence: after traveling until midday, they reach the Gaṅgā and camp beside its holy waters

1.34.6

te gatvā dūram adhvānaṃ gate 'rdhadivase tadā
jāhnavīṃ saritāṃ śreṣṭhāṃ dadṛśur munisevitām

Having gone a long way, when half the day had passed, they then beheld the Jāhnavī, best of rivers, frequented by sages.

Words: te — they; gatvā — having gone; dūram — far, a long (way); adhvānaṃ — road, way; gate 'rdhadivase — when half the day had passed; tadā — then; jāhnavīṃ — the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā); saritāṃ — of rivers; śreṣṭhāṃ — the best; dadṛśur — they beheld, saw; munisevitām — frequented by sages

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.