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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.41.8

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: trusting Bharata to comfort their parents, he thanks Lakṣmaṇa for helping protect Sītā and decides to take only water that night

2.41.8

adbhir eva tu saumitre vatsyāmy adya niśām imām
etad dhi rocate mahyaṃ vanye 'pi vividhe sati

With water alone, Saumitri, will I pass this night today; this indeed pleases me, though various forest-fare be at hand.

Words: adbhir — with water; eva — alone, only; tu — but; saumitre — O Saumitri; vatsyāmy — I shall pass, dwell; adya — today; niśām — night; imām — this; etad — this; dhi — indeed; rocate — pleases; mahyaṃ — to me; vanye — forest-fare; 'pi — even; vividhe — various; sati — being at hand

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.