← 2.51.13 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 51: Sumantra returns to Ayodhyā · 2.51.15 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.51.14

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: covering his face, he drives to the palace and passes through the courtyards as the women wonder how he will speak to Kausalyā

2.51.14

sa rājamārgamadhyena sumantraḥ pihitānanaḥ
yatra rājā daśarathas tad evopayayau gṛham

Sumantra, his face covered, went by the middle of the royal highway straight to that palace where King Daśaratha was.

Words: sa — he; rājamārgamadhyena — by the middle of the royal highway; sumantraḥ — Sumantra; pihitānanaḥ — with his face covered; yatra — where; rājā — the king; daśarathas — Daśaratha; tad — that; evopayayau — went straight to; gṛham — the palace, house

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.