← 1.12.1 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 12: Aśvamedha yajña: Construction, invitations and hospitality · 1.12.3 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.12.2
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 12: Aśvamedha yajña: Construction, invitations and hospitality. Vasiṣṭha organizes construction, food and lodging, Sumantra invites the guests and Daśaratha enters the enclosure to begin the rites
In the sequence: When spring returns after a full year, Daśaratha asks Vasiṣṭha to take charge of completing the sacrifice without obstruction
1.12.2
abravīt praśritaṃ vākyaṃ prasavārthaṃ dvijottamam
yajño me kriyatāṃ vipra yathoktaṃ munipuṃgava
he spoke a humble word to that best of brahmins, for the sake of progeny: “Let my sacrifice be performed, O brahmin, as was said, O bull among sages.
Words: abravīt — spoke; praśritaṃ — humble, modest; vākyaṃ — word; prasavārthaṃ — for the sake of progeny; dvijottamam — to the best of brahmins; yajño — sacrifice; me — my; kriyatāṃ — let it be performed; vipra — O brahmin; yathoktaṃ — as was said; munipuṃgava — O bull among sages
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.