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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.74

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: on the southern bank, Rāma arranges their walking order: Lakṣmaṇa in front, Sītā in the middle, and himself behind to guard them both

2.46.74

tathā saṃbhāṣamāṇā sā sītā gaṅgām aninditā
dakṣiṇā dakṣiṇaṃ tīraṃ kṣipram evābhyupāgamat

Speaking thus to the Gaṅgā, the blameless, gracious Sītā quickly reached the southern bank.

Words: tathā — thus; saṃbhāṣamāṇā — addressing, speaking to; sā sītā — that Sītā; gaṅgām — the Gaṅgā; aninditā — the blameless one; dakṣiṇā — the gracious one (also: on the south); dakṣiṇaṃ tīraṃ — the southern bank; kṣipram evābhyupāgamat — very quickly reached

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.