स तदन्तःपुरद्वारं समतीत्य जनाकुलम्।
प्रविविक्तां ततः कक्ष्यामाससाद पुराणवित्॥
प्रासकार्मुकबिभ्रद्भिर्युवभिर्मृष्टकुण्डलैः।
अप्रमादिभिरेकाग्रैः स्वनुक्तैरधिष्ठिताम्॥
sa tad antaḥ-pura-dvāraṁ samatītya janākulam
praviviktāṁ tataḥ kakṣyām āsasāda purāṇavit
prāsa-kārmuka-bibhradbhir yuvabhir mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalaiḥ
apramādibhir ekāgraiḥ svanuraktair adhiṣṭhitām
saḥ = that; tat = the; antaḥ-pura-dvāram = gate of the inner quarters; samatītya = passed through; jana-ākulam = crowded; praviviktām = a secluded; tataḥ = and; kakṣyām = apartment; āsasāda = reached; purāṇavit = knower of history; prāsa-kārmuka-bibhradbhiḥ = they carried darts, bows [and arrows]; yuvabhiḥ = by young men; mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalaiḥ = they wore pure earrings; apramādibhiḥ = not inattentive; eka-agraiḥ = they were focused; su-anuraktaiḥ = and very attached [to Śrī Rāmacandra]; adhiṣṭhitām = superintended.
That knower of history passed through the crowded gate of the inner quarters and reached a secluded apartment superintended by young men. They carried darts, bows [and arrows]. They wore pure earrings. They were focused, not inattentive and very attached [to Śrī Rāmacandra].
Sumantra met Rāma and Rāma set out to meet Daśaratha. This is described in this chapter.
GLOSS. Purāṇavit can be analyzed as pura-aṇa-vit, “He who knows the paths within the residences.”1 This indicates that Sumantra was well acquainted in the knowledge of royal residences.2