← 2.46.54 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 46: Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā · 2.46.56 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.55
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: he asks Guha for banyan sap and uses it to form his and Lakṣmaṇa's hair into matted locks → he advises Guha to guard his army, treasury, forts, and territory, then says goodbye.
2.46.55
ity uktvā vacanaṃ sūtaṃ sāntvayitvā punaḥ punaḥ
guhaṃ vacanam aklībaṃ rāmo hetumad abravīt
jaṭāḥ kṛtvā gamiṣyāmi nyagrodhakṣīram ānaya
Having said this and consoled the charioteer again and again, Rāma spoke to Guha a manly, well-reasoned word: 'I shall go having made matted locks; bring the milky sap of the banyan.'
Words: ity uktvā — having thus spoken; vacanaṃ — the word; sūtaṃ — the charioteer; sāntvayitvā — having consoled; punaḥ punaḥ — again and again; guhaṃ — to Guha; vacanam — a word; aklībaṃ — unfaltering, manly; rāmo — Rāma; hetumad — reasoned, cogent; abravīt — said; jaṭāḥ — matted locks; kṛtvā — having made; gamiṣyāmi — I shall go; nyagrodhakṣīram — the milky sap of the banyan; ānaya — bring
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.