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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.51.16

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

2.51.16

tato daśarathastrīṇāṃ prāsādebhyas tatas tataḥ
rāmaśokābhitaptānāṃ mandaṃ śuśrāva jalpitam

Then from the palaces here and there he heard the faint murmuring of Daśaratha's women, scorched with grief for Rāma.

Words: tato — then; daśarathastrīṇāṃ — of Daśaratha's women; prāsādebhyas — from the palaces; tatas tataḥ — here and there; rāmaśokābhitaptānāṃ — scorched with grief for Rāma; mandaṃ — faint, low; śuśrāva — heard; jalpitam — murmuring, talk

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.