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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.5.20
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 5: Vasiṣṭha prepares the upavāsa. He establishes Rāma & Sītā’s fast with sacred formulas and reports to Daśaratha as Ayodhyā decorates its streets
In the sequence: on his way back, Vasiṣṭha finds the streets swept, watered, decorated with flowers and flags, and crowded with people eager for sunrise
2.5.20
evaṃ taṃ janasaṃbādhaṃ rājamārgaṃ purohitaḥ
vyūhann iva janaughaṃ taṃ śanai rāja kulaṃ yayau
Thus the family priest, as if parting that flood of people, slowly made his way along that royal road thronged with people, to the royal palace.
Words: evaṃ — thus; taṃ — that; janasaṃbādhaṃ — thronged with people; rājamārgaṃ — the royal road; purohitaḥ — the family priest; vyūhann — parting, dividing; iva — as if; janaughaṃ — the flood of people; taṃ — that; śanai — slowly; rāja — royal; kulaṃ — house, palace; yayau — went
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.