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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.51.17
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
2.51.17
saha rāmeṇa niryāto vinā rāmam ihāgataḥ
sūtaḥ kiṃ nāma kausalyāṃ śocantīṃ prativakṣyati
'The charioteer who set out with Rāma has come back here without Rāma—what on earth will he say to the grieving Kausalyā?'
Words: saha rāmeṇa — together with Rāma; niryāto — set out, departed; vinā — without; rāmam — Rāma; ihāgataḥ — come here; sūtaḥ — the charioteer; kiṃ nāma — what indeed, what on earth; kausalyāṃ — to Kausalyā; śocantīṃ — grieving; prativakṣyati — will answer, say in reply
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.