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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.86.35
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 86: Bharadvāja directs Bharata to Citrakūṭa. The Mandākinī and leaf hut identify Rāma’s home, Bharata introduces the Queens and is urged not to blame Kaikeyī
In the sequence: Bharata orders the army to prepare, and the expedition heads south, with the Queens eager to see Rāma.
2.86.35
sā prayātā mahāsenā gajavājirathākulā
dakṣiṇāṃ diśam āvṛtya mahāmegha ivotthitaḥ
vanāni tu vyatikramya juṣṭāni mṛgapakṣibhiḥ
That great army, thronged with elephants, horses and chariots, set out, turning toward the southern quarter like a great cloud risen up, and passing through forests frequented by beasts and birds.
Words: sā — that; prayātā — set out; mahāsenā — great army; gajavājirathākulā — thronged with elephants, horses and chariots; dakṣiṇāṃ — southern; diśam — quarter, direction; āvṛtya — having turned toward; mahāmegha ivotthitaḥ — like a great risen cloud; vanāni — forests; tu — and; vyatikramya — having passed through; juṣṭāni — frequented; mṛgapakṣibhiḥ — by beasts and birds
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.