गोदावरीयं सरितां वरिष्ठा प्रिया प्रियाया मम नित्यकालम्।
अप्यत्र गच्छेदिति चिन्तयामि नैकाकिनी याति हि सा कदाचित्॥
godāvarīyaṁ saritāṁ variṣṭhā
priyā priyāyā mama nitya-kālam
apy atra gacched iti cintayāmi
naikākinī yāti hi sā kadācit
godāvarī = Godāvarī; iyam = here is; saritām = of rivers; variṣṭhā = the best; priyā = it is dear; priyāyāḥ = to dear lady; mama = My; nitya-kālam = at all times; api1 atra = there; gacchet = she might have gone; iti = that; cintayāmi = I think; na = never; ekākinī = alone; yāti hi = would go [there]; sā = [but] she; kadācit = ever.
Here is Godāvarī, the best of rivers. At all times, it is dear to My dear lady. I think that she might have gone there. [But] she would never ever go [there] alone.
1 Technical note: api gacchet.
So, Lord Rāma concluded, it wasn’t reasonable.