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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.30.4

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 30: The walk to Daśaratha’s palace. Seeing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa without royal honours, citizens propose leaving Ayodhyā to follow them

In the sequence: After distributing their possessions, Rāma, Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa set out on foot for Daśaratha's palace → the brothers carry their bows, already decorated with garlands by Sītā

2.30.4

na hi rathyāḥ sma śakyante gantuṃ bahujanākulāḥ
āruhya tasmāt prāsādān dīnāḥ paśyanti rāghavam

For the streets, thronged with a multitude of people, could not be walked upon; so, climbing the palaces, the dejected folk gazed upon Rāghava.

Words: na hi — for not; rathyāḥ — the streets; sma — (past-sense particle); śakyante — are able (to be traversed); gantuṃ — to go, walk; bahujanākulāḥ — thronged with many people; āruhya — having climbed; tasmāt — therefore; prāsādān — the palaces; dīnāḥ — dejected, miserable; paśyanti — look upon; rāghavam — Rāghava

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.