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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.50

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: Rāma explains why he must return: the empty chariot will convince Kaikeyī that the exile is real and protect Daśaratha from suspicion of evading his promise

2.46.50

jānāmi paramāṃ bhaktiṃ mayi te bhartṛvatsala
śṛṇu cāpi yadarthaṃ tvāṃ preṣayāmi purīm itaḥ

'I know your supreme devotion to me, O loyal one; but hear also for what purpose I am sending you back to the city from here.'

Words: jānāmi — I know; paramāṃ bhaktiṃ — supreme devotion; mayi — toward me; te — your; bhartṛvatsala — O loyal to your master; śṛṇu — hear; cāpi — and also; yadarthaṃ — for what purpose; tvāṃ — you; preṣayāmi — I send; purīm — to the city; itaḥ — from here

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.