इति तौ पुरुषव्याघ्रौ मन्त्रयित्वा मनस्विनौ।
सीतामेवाग्रतः कृत्वा कालिन्दीं जग्मतुर्नदीम्॥
iti tau puruṣa-vyāghrau mantrayitvā manasvinau
sītām evāgrataḥ kṛtvā kālindīṁ jagmatur nadīm
iti = in this manner; tau = the two; puruṣa-vyāghrau = princes; mantrayitvā = having thought; manasvinau = virtuous; sītām eva agrataḥ kṛtvā = with Sītā-devī; kālindīm = Yamunā; jagmatuḥ = walked; nadīm = to the river.
Having thought in this manner, the two virtuous princes walked with Sītā-devī to the river Yamunā.1
1 This translation is based on Śrī Satyadharma Tīrtha’s Rāmāyaṇa-bhāva-dīpa.
1 This is nothing but a symptom of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s affection to His devotees—His bhakta-vātsalya.
2 Superficially sītām evāgrataḥ kṛtvā means “having gone ahead of Sītā.” But it can also mean “having gone behind Sītā,” according to the Viśva-kośa as quoted by the glossator: “agraṁ prānte purastāc ca pradhāne prathamordhvayoḥ” iti viśvaḥ.
Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa considered that They had been immensely helped [by the sage].1
GLOSS. Agrataḥ kṛtvā indicates that Lakṣmaṇa kept Himself ahead of Sītā and that Rāma kept Himself behind her. This [interpretation] refutes the charge that a superficial reading of sītām evāgrataḥ kṛtvā contradicts statements such as the following:
avaśyaṁ rakṣaṇaṁ kāryam adṛṣṭe vijane vane
agrato gaccha saumitre sītā tvām anugacchatu
[Rāma to Lakṣmaṇa:] “You will need to offer protection in hitherto unknown and lonely jungles. Lakṣmaṇa, You go first. Sītā should follow You.”2 (Rāmāyaṇa 2.52.95)