Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 46: Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā · 2.46.2 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.1

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 46: Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā. He sends Sumantra back as proof of departure, forms matted locks with banyan sap and crosses while Sītā prays

In the sequence: At dawn Rāma prepares to cross the river

2.46.1

prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ pṛthu vṛkṣā mahāyaśāḥ
uvāca rāmaḥ saumitriṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ śubhalakṣaṇam

When the night had brightened into dawn, the broad-chested, greatly renowned Rāma said to Saumitri, to Lakṣmaṇa of auspicious marks:

Words: prabhātāyāṃ — when it had brightened to dawn; tu — and; śarvaryāṃ — the night (loc. abs.); pṛthu — broad; vṛkṣā — chested (text: vṛkṣā, for vakṣāḥ 'chest'); mahāyaśāḥ — of great fame; uvāca — said; rāmaḥ — Rāma; saumitriṃ — to Saumitri; lakṣmaṇaṃ — to Lakṣmaṇa; śubhalakṣaṇam — of auspicious marks

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.