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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.52.6
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 52: Sumantra reports the farewells. Rāma asks Bharata to care for the family, Lakṣmaṇa condemns the banishment and Sītā stands silently in tears
In the sequence: After reviving, Daśaratha asks Sumantra how the travelers will eat, sleep, and survive in the forest
2.52.6
vyālair mṛgair ācaritaṃ kṛṣṇasarpaniṣevitam
kathaṃ kumārau vaidehyā sārdhaṃ vanam upasthitau
'Ranged by beasts of prey and wild animals, haunted by black serpents—how have the two princes, together with Vaidehī, come to such a forest?'
Words: vyālair — by beasts of prey; mṛgair — by wild animals; ācaritaṃ — ranged over, roamed; kṛṣṇasarpaniṣevitam — haunted by black serpents; kathaṃ — how; kumārau — the two princes; vaidehyā — with Vaidehī; sārdhaṃ — together with; vanam — the forest; upasthitau — have come to, entered
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.