एवं बहुविधं तं सा याचते गमनं प्रति।
नानुमेने महाबाहुस्तां नेतुं विजनं वनम्॥
evaṁ bahu-vidhaṁ taṁ sā yācate gamanaṁ prati
nānumene mahā-bāhus tāṁ netuṁ vijanaṁ vanam
evam = thus; bahu-vidham = in many ways; tam = Him; sā = she; yācate = requested; gamanam prati = [to allow her] to go [with Him to the forest]; na anumene = [however] did not agree; mahā-bāhuḥ = the great-armed Lord; tām = her; netum = to take; vijanam = lonely; vanam = to the forest.
She thus requested Him in many ways [to allow her] to go [with Him to the forest]. The great-armed Lord, [however], did not agree to take her to the lonely forest.
1]. “Bereft of trusted well-wishers”: The exact expression used in the commentary is bandhu-jana-rahitam which literally means “bereft of friendly people.” The friendly people Lord Rāma has in mind are trusted well-wishers, and so the above rendering. Later Rāma would tell Lakṣmaṇa that had the latter not come along, it would have been difficult for Rāma to take care of Sītā-devī. At this point in the pastime, Rāma has not accepted Lakṣmaṇa as His companion in the forest.
“The lonely forest” means “the forest bereft of trusted well-wishers.”1