← 2.48 Bharadvāja directs Rāma to Citrakūṭa · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa · 2.50 The Citrakūṭa hut and its rites →

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 49: The raft across the Yamunā

Summary. The brothers build a raft for Sītā, she crosses and prays at the banyan to see Kausalyā & Sumitrā again

Sequence

  1. Bharadvāja walks part of the way with them and gives directions (2.49.1–2)
  2. they are to cross the Yamunā on a raft, pass a great dark-green banyan, and continue through the forest toward Citrakūṭa → Bharadvāja then turns back (2.49.3–6)
  3. at the river, the brothers build a raft from logs; Lakṣmaṇa makes a comfortable place for Sītā, and Rāma helps her aboard (2.49.7–10)
  4. they cross and leave the raft behind → at the banyan, Sītā prays to see Kausalyā and Sumitrā again and walks around the tree (2.49.11–13)
  5. farther along the route, the brothers kill a number of deer fit for sacrifice, and the party camps on a level riverbank. (2.49.14–15)

Verses 2.49.1–15

2.49.1

uṣitvā rajanīṃ tatra rājaputrāv ariṃdamau
maharṣim abhivādyātha jagmatus taṃ giriṃ prati

Having spent the night there, the two princes, tamers of foes, then saluted the great sage and set out toward that mountain.

Words: uṣitvā — having spent, dwelt; rajanīṃ — the night; tatra — there; rājaputrāv — the two princes; ariṃdamau — tamers of foes; maharṣim — the great sage; abhivādyātha — having saluted, then; jagmatus — the two went; taṃ — that; giriṃ — mountain; prati — toward

2.49.2

prasthitāṃś caiva tān prekṣya pitā putrān ivānvagāt
tataḥ pracakrame vaktuṃ vacanaṃ sa mahāmuniḥ

Watching them as they set out, he followed them as a father follows his sons; then that great sage began to speak these words.

Words: prasthitāṃś — setting out; caiva — and; tān — them; prekṣya — having watched; pitā — a father; putrān — sons; ivānvagāt — as if followed; tataḥ — then; pracakrame — began; vaktuṃ — to speak; vacanaṃ — words; sa — that; mahāmuniḥ — great sage

2.49.3

athāsādya tu kālindīṃ śīghrasrotasamāpagām
tatra yūyaṃ plavaṃ kṛtvā taratāṃśumatīṃ nadīm

'Now, once you have reached the Kālindī, a river of swift current, there make a raft and cross the Aṃśumatī river.'

Words: athāsādya — now having reached; tu — and, now; kālindīṃ — the Kālindī (Yamunā); śīghrasrotasamāpagām — a river of swift current; tatra — there; yūyaṃ — you (pl.); plavaṃ — a raft; kṛtvā — having made; taratāṃśumatīṃ — cross the Aṃśumatī; nadīm — river

2.49.4

tato nyagrodham āsādya mahāntaṃ haritacchadam
vivṛddhaṃ bahubhir vṛkṣaiḥ śyāmaṃ siddhopasevitam

'Then you will reach a great banyan tree with green foliage, grown tall, dark, ringed by many trees and frequented by the perfected ones.'

Words: tato — then; nyagrodham — a banyan tree; āsādya — having reached; mahāntaṃ — great; haritacchadam — with green foliage; vivṛddhaṃ — grown tall, full-grown; bahubhir — by many; vṛkṣaiḥ — trees; śyāmaṃ — dark; siddhopasevitam — frequented by siddhas

2.49.5

krośamātraṃ tato gatvā nīlaṃ drakṣyatha kānanam
palāśabadarīmiśraṃ rāma vaṃśaiś ca yāmunaiḥ

'Going just a krośa beyond it, you will see a dark-blue forest, O Rāma, mingled with palāśa and jujube trees and with Yamunā bamboos.'

Words: krośamātraṃ — just a krośa; tato — then, from there; gatvā — having gone; nīlaṃ — dark-blue; drakṣyatha — you (pl.) will see; kānanam — forest; palāśabadarīmiśraṃ — mingled with palāśa and jujube trees; rāma — O Rāma; vaṃśaiś — with bamboos; ca — and; yāmunaiḥ — of the Yamunā

2.49.6

sa panthāś citrakūṭasya gataḥ subahuśo mayā
ramyo mārdavayuktaś ca vanadāvair vivarjitaḥ
iti panthānam āvedya maharṣiḥ sa nyavartata

'That is the road to Citrakūṭa, traveled by me very many times, delightful and easy, free of forest-fires.' Having thus pointed out the path, the great sage turned back.

Words: sa — that; panthāś — path, road; citrakūṭasya — to Citrakūṭa; gataḥ — gone, traveled; subahuśo — very many times; mayā — by me; ramyo — delightful; mārdavayuktaś — endowed with softness, easy; ca — and; vanadāvair — by forest-fires; vivarjitaḥ — free of, devoid of; iti — thus; panthānam — the path; āvedya — having made known, pointed out; maharṣiḥ — the great sage; sa — he; nyavartata — turned back, returned

2.49.7

upāvṛtte munau tasmin rāmo lakṣmaṇam abravīt
kṛtapuṇyāḥ sma saumitre munir yan no 'nukampate

When that sage had turned back, Rāma said to Lakṣmaṇa: 'We have surely earned merit, O Saumitri, in that the sage shows us such compassion.'

Words: upāvṛtte — when had turned back; munau — the sage; tasmin — that; rāmo — Rāma; lakṣmaṇam — to Lakṣmaṇa; abravīt — said; kṛtapuṇyāḥ — of accomplished merit, blessed; sma — (we) are; saumitre — O Saumitri (Lakṣmaṇa); munir — the sage; yan — in that, since; no — to us; 'nukampate — shows compassion

2.49.8

iti tau puruṣavyāghrau mantrayitvā manasvinau
sītām evāgrataḥ kṛtvā kālindīṃ jagmatur nadīm

Having thus taken counsel, those two wise tigers among men, placing Sītā in front, went on to the river Kālindī.

Words: iti — thus; tau — the two; puruṣavyāghrau — tigers among men; mantrayitvā — having taken counsel, deliberated; manasvinau — the two wise ones; sītām — Sītā; evāgrataḥ — indeed in front; kṛtvā — having placed; kālindīṃ — the Kālindī; jagmatur — the two went; nadīm — river

2.49.9

tau kāṣṭhasaṃghāṭam atho cakratuḥ sumahāplavam
cakāra lakṣmaṇaś chittvā sītāyāḥ sukhamānasaṃ

The two then fashioned a raft of logs, a very large float; and Lakṣmaṇa, cutting the wood, made it comfortable to Sītā's heart.

Words: tau — the two; kāṣṭhasaṃghāṭam — a raft of logs; atho — and then; cakratuḥ — the two made; sumahāplavam — a very large float; cakāra — made; lakṣmaṇaś — Lakṣmaṇa; chittvā — having cut; sītāyāḥ — for Sītā; sukhamānasaṃ — comfortable to the heart

2.49.10

tatra śriyam ivācintyāṃ rāmo dāśarathiḥ priyām
īṣatsaṃlajjamānāṃ tām adhyāropayata plavam

There Rāma, son of Daśaratha, helped his beloved—slightly bashful, like inconceivable Śrī herself—up onto the raft.

Words: tatra — there; śriyam — Śrī, the goddess of fortune; ivācintyāṃ — like the inconceivable; rāmo — Rāma; dāśarathiḥ — son of Daśaratha; priyām — his beloved; īṣatsaṃlajjamānāṃ — slightly bashful; tām — her; adhyāropayata — helped mount, set up onto; plavam — the raft

2.49.11

tataḥ plavenāṃśumatīṃ śīghragām ūrmimālinīm
tīrajair bahubhir vṛkṣaiḥ saṃterur yamunāṃ nadīm

Then by the raft they crossed the Aṃśumatī, swift-flowing and wreathed with waves, fringed by the many trees growing along its banks—the river Yamunā.

Words: tataḥ — then; plavenāṃśumatīṃ — the Aṃśumatī by the raft; śīghragām — swift-flowing; ūrmimālinīm — wreathed with waves; tīrajair — by (trees) born on the bank; bahubhir — many; vṛkṣaiḥ — trees; saṃterur — they crossed over; yamunāṃ — the Yamunā; nadīm — river

2.49.12

te tīrṇāḥ plavam utsṛjya prasthāya yamunāvanāt
śyāmaṃ nyagrodham āseduḥ śītalaṃ haritacchadam

Having crossed over, they abandoned the raft and, setting out from the Yamunā's woods, reached the dark banyan, cool and green-leaved.

Words: te — they; tīrṇāḥ — having crossed; plavam — the raft; utsṛjya — having abandoned, left behind; prasthāya — having set out; yamunāvanāt — from the Yamunā forest; śyāmaṃ — dark; nyagrodham — banyan tree; āseduḥ — reached; śītalaṃ — cool; haritacchadam — green-leaved

2.49.13

kausalyāṃ caiva paśyeyaṃ sumitrāṃ ca yaśasvinīm
iti sītāñjaliṃ kṛtvā paryagachad vanaspatim

'May I see Kausalyā again, and the illustrious Sumitrā'—so saying, Sītā made an añjali and circumambulated the great tree.

Words: kausalyāṃ — Kausalyā; caiva — and; paśyeyaṃ — may I see; sumitrāṃ — Sumitrā; ca — and; yaśasvinīm — the illustrious; iti — thus (saying); sītāñjaliṃ — Sītā an añjali (of joined palms); kṛtvā — having made; paryagachad — circumambulated, went around; vanaspatim — the lord of the forest, the great tree

2.49.14

krośamātraṃ tato gatvā bhrātarau rāmalakṣmaṇau
bahūn medhyān mṛgān hatvā ceratur yamunāvane

Then, having gone a krośa farther, the two brothers Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa killed many deer fit for sacrifice and roamed about in the Yamunā's forest.

Words: krośamātraṃ — just a krośa; tato — then, from there; gatvā — having gone; bhrātarau — the two brothers; rāmalakṣmaṇau — Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa; bahūn — many; medhyān — pure, fit for sacrifice; mṛgān — deer, game; hatvā — having killed; ceratur — roamed about; yamunāvane — in the Yamunā forest

2.49.15

vihṛtya te barhiṇapūganādite śubhe vane vāraṇavānarāyute
samaṃ nadīvapram upetya saṃmataṃ nivāsam ājagmur adīnadarśanaḥ

Having roamed in that lovely wood, resounding with flocks of peacocks and alive with elephants and monkeys, they of undaunted mien came to a level river-bank and reached an agreeable dwelling-place.

Words: vihṛtya — having roamed, sported; te — they; barhiṇapūganādite — resounding with flocks of peacocks; śubhe — lovely; vane — in the forest; vāraṇavānarāyute — filled with elephants and monkeys; samaṃ — level, even; nadīvapram — the river-bank; upetya — having approached; saṃmataṃ — agreeable, approved; nivāsam — dwelling-place; ājagmur — they came to; adīnadarśanaḥ — of undaunted appearance

← 2.48 Bharadvāja directs Rāma to Citrakūṭa · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa · 2.50 The Citrakūṭa hut and its rites →

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.

Plain text: /text/2/49.md · JSON: /data/2/49.json