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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.37

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: Sumantra pleads to stay: he cannot face returning with the empty chariot or telling Kausalyā where her son has gone

2.46.37

asatyam api naivāhaṃ brūyāṃ vacanam īdṛśam
katham apriyam evāhaṃ brūyāṃ satyam idaṃ vacaḥ

'I could not utter such a false statement; yet how am I to speak this true but unwelcome word?'

Words: asatyam api — even (something) untrue; naivāhaṃ — not at all do I; brūyāṃ — would say; vacanam īdṛśam — such a statement; katham — how; apriyam — unwelcome, unpleasant; evāhaṃ — indeed I; brūyāṃ — would say; satyam — true; idaṃ vacaḥ — this word

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.