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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.41.24

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 41: Rāma leaves the sleeping citizens. Sumantra lays misleading tracks, Rāma crosses the Tamasā with Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa before the followers wake

In the sequence: he sends Sumantra ahead alone with the chariot, telling him to drive north for a while and return so that the tracks will mislead the followers

2.41.24

mohanārthaṃ tu paurāṇāṃ sūtaṃ rāmo 'bravīd vacaḥ
udaṅmukhaḥ prayāhi tvaṃ ratham āsthāya sārathe

To mislead the townsfolk, Rāma spoke this word to the charioteer: 'Mount the chariot and drive off facing north, O charioteer.'

Words: mohanārthaṃ — for the purpose of misleading; tu — and; paurāṇāṃ — of the townsfolk; sūtaṃ — to the charioteer; rāmo — Rāma; 'bravīd — spoke; vacaḥ — word; udaṅmukhaḥ — facing north; prayāhi — go forth; tvaṃ — you; ratham — the chariot; āsthāya — having mounted; sārathe — O charioteer

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.