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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.51.3

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: The narrative turns back to Sumantra after the Gaṅgā crossing: Guha returns home, and the driver eventually sets out for Ayodhyā → after traveling through forests, rivers, and settlements, he reaches the city on the third evening of his journey

2.51.3

sa vanāni sugandhīni saritaś ca sarāṃsi ca
paśyann atiyayau śīghraṃ grāmāṇi nagarāṇi ca

Gazing at fragrant woods, rivers, and lakes, he swiftly passed by villages and towns.

Words: sa — he; vanāni — woods, forests; sugandhīni — fragrant; saritaś — rivers; ca — and; sarāṃsi — lakes; ca — and; paśyann — gazing; atiyayau — passed by, went past; śīghraṃ — swiftly; grāmāṇi — villages; nagarāṇi — towns; ca — and

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.