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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.13.39

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 13: Aśvamedha yajña: The horse’s return and completion of the rites. The returning horse is sacrificed with prescribed posts, a Garuḍa-shaped altar and continual hospitality, Daśaratha rewards the priests and requests the rite for sons

In the sequence: they decline to govern, saying that study is their occupation and he is the proper protector of the land → they request wealth in exchange

1.13.39

ṛtvijas tv abruvan sarve rājānaṃ gatakalmaṣam
bhavān eva mahīṃ kṛtsnām eko rakṣitum arhati

But all the officiating priests said to the king, now cleansed of sin: “You alone are fit to protect the whole earth.

Words: ṛtvijas — the officiating priests; tv — but; abruvan — said; sarve — all; rājānaṃ — to the king; gatakalmaṣam — cleansed of sin; bhavān — you (honoured one); eva — alone; mahīṃ — the earth; kṛtsnām — whole, entire; eko — alone; rakṣitum — to protect; arhati — are fit, deserve

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.