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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.88.21

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 88: Rāma shows Sītā Citrakūṭa. Mineral-coloured peaks, fruit trees and waterfalls relieve his grief, forest life fulfils his father’s command while Bharata rules

In the sequence: he shows her the varied rocks, luminous plants, and places of beauty and recreation → he looks forward to completing his vow in this setting.

2.88.21

niśi bhānty acalendrasya hutāśanaśikhā iva
oṣadhyaḥ svaprabhā lakṣmyā bhrājamānāḥ sahasraśaḥ

By night the herbs of the mountain-lord shine like tongues of fire, glowing by the thousand with their own radiance and splendor.

Words: niśi — by night; bhānty — shine; acalendrasya — of the mountain-lord; hutāśanaśikhā — tongues of fire; iva — as, like; oṣadhyaḥ — the herbs (luminous plants); svaprabhā — self-luminous; lakṣmyā — with splendor, beauty; bhrājamānāḥ — shining, glittering; sahasraśaḥ — by the thousands

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.