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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.77

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

2.46.77

pṛṣṭhato 'haṃ gamiṣyāmi tvāṃ ca sītāṃ ca pālayan
adya duḥkhaṃ tu vaidehī vanavāsasya vetsyati

'I shall go behind, guarding both you and Sītā; today, though, Vaidehī will come to know the hardship of forest-dwelling.'

Words: pṛṣṭhato — behind; 'haṃ — I; gamiṣyāmi — shall go; tvāṃ ca sītāṃ ca — both you and Sītā; pālayan — protecting; adya — today; duḥkhaṃ — the hardship, sorrow; tu — but; vaidehī — Vaidehī; vanavāsasya — of forest-dwelling; vetsyati — will come to know

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.