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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.51.11

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 51: Sumantra returns to Ayodhyā. Citizens surround the empty chariot, news of Rāma’s crossing renews their grief and Daśaratha collapses on receiving his message

In the sequence: he tells them that he left the travelers at the Gaṅgā and that they have crossed it → the news renews the city's grief

2.51.11

dānayajñavivāheṣu samājeṣu mahatsu ca
na drakṣyāmaḥ punar jātu dhārmikaṃ rāmam antarā

'At gift-givings, sacrifices, and weddings, and at great gatherings, never again shall we see the righteous Rāma in our midst.'

Words: dānayajñavivāheṣu — at gift-givings, sacrifices, and weddings; samājeṣu — at assemblies, gatherings; mahatsu — great; ca — and; na — not; drakṣyāmaḥ — we shall see; punar — again; jātu — ever; dhārmikaṃ — the righteous; rāmam — Rāma; antarā — among (us), in the midst

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.