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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.53

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

2.46.53

eṣa me prathamaḥ kalpo yad ambā me yavīyasī
bharatārakṣitaṃ sphītaṃ putrarājyam avāpnuyāt

'This is my foremost design — that my younger mother may obtain a flourishing kingdom for her son, guarded by Bharata.'

Words: eṣa — this; me — my; prathamaḥ kalpo — foremost design; yad — that; ambā me — my mother; yavīyasī — younger; bharatārakṣitaṃ — guarded by Bharata; sphītaṃ — flourishing, prosperous; putrarājyam — the kingdom for (her) son; avāpnuyāt — may obtain

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.