तं तु पर्वतमासाद्य नानापक्षिगणायुतम्।
बहुमूलफलं रम्यं संपन्नं सरसोदकम्॥
मनोज्ञोऽयं गिरिः सौम्य नानाद्रुमलतायुतः।
बहुमूलफलो रम्यः स्वाजीवः प्रतिभाति मे॥
मुनयश्च महात्मानो वसन्त्यस्मिञ्शिलोच्चये।
अयं वासो भवेत्तावदत्र सौम्य रमेमहि॥
इति सीता च रामश्च लक्ष्मणश्च कृताञ्जलिः।
अभिगम्याश्रमं सर्वे वाल्मीकिमभिवादयन्॥
taṁ tu parvatam āsādya nānā-pakṣi-gaṇāyutam
bahu-mūla-phalaṁ ramyaṁ sampannaṁ sarasodakam
manojño ’yaṁ giriḥ saumya nānā-druma-latāyutaḥ
bahu-mūla-phalo ramyaḥ svājīvaḥ pratibhāti me
munayaś ca mahātmāno vasanty asmiñ śiloccaye
ayaṁ vāso bhavet tāvad atra saumya ramemahi
iti sītā ca rāmaś ca lakṣmaṇaś ca kṛtāñjaliḥ
abhigamyāśramaṁ sarve vālmīkim abhivādayan
tam tu = that; parvatam = mountain; āsādya = having reached; nānā-pakṣi-gaṇa-āyutam = filled with several birds; bahu-mūla-phalam = many roots and fruits; ramyam = pleasing; sampannam = excellent; sarasa-udakam = and tasty water; manojñaḥ = charming; ayam = this; giriḥ = mountain is; saumya = gentle Lakṣmaṇa; nānā-druma-latā-āyutaḥ = it is filled with many trees and creepers; bahu-mūla-phalaḥ = many roots and fruits; ramyaḥ = to be a pleasant; svājīvaḥ = source of subsistence [for us]; pratibhāti = it appears; me = to Me; munayaḥ = sages; ca = and; mahā-ātmānaḥ = great souls; vasanti = reside; asmin = on this; śilā-uccaye = mountain; ayam vāsaḥ bhavet = we should stay; tāvat atra = here; saumya = gentle [brother]; ramemahi iti = we will be happy; sītā ca = Sītā; rāmaḥ ca = Rāma; lakṣmaṇaḥ = Lakṣmaṇa; ca = and; kṛta-añjaliḥ = joined their palms in supplication; abhigamya = having arrived; āśramam = at an āśrama; sarve = and all of them; vālmīkim = unto the sage Vālmīki; abhivādayan = offered their respectful obeisances.
Having reached that pleasing excellent mountain filled with several birds, many roots and fruits and tasty water, Rāma ascertained: “Gentle Lakṣmaṇa, this mountain is charming. It is filled with many trees and creepers, many roots and fruits. It appears to Me to be a pleasant source of subsistence [for us]. Great souls and sages reside on this mountain. Gentle [brother], we should stay here. We will be happy.” Having arrived at an āśrama, Sītā, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa joined their palms in supplication and all of them offered their respectful obeisances unto the sage Vālmīki.
1 A commentator notes an alternate view held by some that this Vālmīki is different from the famous sage Vālmīki. But this opinion can be safely rejected because we don’t come across two Vālmīki Ṛṣis living at the same time and participating in Rāma-līlā, since Lord Rāma’s pastimes are brought up in practically every Purāṇa of Śrī Vedavyāsa.
The āśrama belonged to Vālmīki who lived there at that time. After Bharata’s arrival, the sage departed from there and stayed by the bank of the river Tamasā. Therefore, [this description of Vālmīki at Citrakūṭa] does not contradict Canto 1 (Bāla-kāṇḍa) [that describes him as living by the Tamasā].1