वनवासं हि सङ्ख्याय वासांस्याभरणानि च।
भर्तारमनुगच्छन्त्यै सीतायै श्वशुरो ददौ॥
तथैवायुधजालानि भ्रातृभ्यां कवचानि च।
रथोपस्थे प्रतिन्यस्य सचर्म कठिनं च तत्॥
सीतातृतीयानारूढान्दृष्ट्वा धृष्टमचोदयत्।
सुमत्रः सम्मतानश्वान्वायुवेगसमाञ्जवे॥
vana-vāsaṁ hi saṅkhyāya vāsāṁsy ābharaṇāni ca
bhartāram anugacchantyai sītāyai śvaśuro dadau
tathaivāyudha-jālāni bhrātṛbhyāṁ kavacāni ca
rathopasthe pratinyasya sacarma kaṭhinaṁ ca tat
sītā-tṛtīyān ārūḍhān dṛṣṭvā dhṛṣṭam acodayat
sumantraḥ sammatān aśvān vāyu-vega-samān jave
vana-vāsam = her residence in the forest; hi = for; saṅkhyāya = considering; vāsāṁsi = clothes; ābharaṇāni = ornaments; ca = and; bhartāram = her husband; anugacchantyai = she followed; sītāyai = her; śvaśuraḥ = Sītā’s father-in-law; dadau = gave; tathā eva = and; āyudha-jālāni = the weapons; bhrātṛbhyām = after the brothers; kavacāni ca = armors; ratha-upasthe = on the chariot; pratinyasya = placed; sacarma = and a small leather basket; kaṭhinam ca = shovel; tat = a; sītā-tṛtīyān = that all the three including Sītā; ārūḍhān = had climbed on the chariot; dṛṣṭvā = noticed and then; dhṛṣṭam = courageously; acodayat = whipped; sumantraḥ = Sumantra; sammatān = his excellent; aśvān = horses; vāyu-vega-samān = who were as fast as the wind; jave = into action.
Sītā’s father-in-law gave her clothes and ornaments considering her residence in the forest for she followed her husband. And after the brothers placed the weapons, armors, a shovel and a small leather basket on the chariot, Sumantra noticed that all the three including Sītā had climbed on the chariot and then courageously whipped his excellent horses who were as fast as the wind into action.1
1 In the Madhva Vilas edition, text 15 appears as text 17. Texts 16 and 17 appear as texts 15 and 16 respectively. We have placed these texts in this order because the commentator notes that this is the right order for placing the verses.
1 In other words, the horses were very carefully chosen on the basis of their attributes.
GLOSS. Sammatān indicates that the horses were well known for their attributes.[1