← 1.14.20 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 14: Putrakāmeṣṭi and Viṣṇu’s promised human birth

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.14.21

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 14: Putrakāmeṣṭi and Viṣṇu’s promised human birth. Ṛṣyaśṛṅga begins the putrīyā iṣṭi, the Devas ask Viṣṇu to take human birth because Rāvaṇa’s protection excludes humans

In the sequence: Viṣṇu arrives → the Suras ask him to divide himself fourfold and become sons through Daśaratha's three wives → in human form he must kill Rāvaṇa and free the worlds and tapasvins from fear.

1.14.21

tad uddhataṃ rāvaṇam ṛddhatejasaṃ pravṛddhadarpaṃ tridaśeśvaradviṣam
virāvaṇaṃ sādhu tapasvikaṇṭakaṃ tapasvinām uddhara taṃ bhayāvaham

So uproot that arrogant Rāvaṇa of swollen might, of overweening pride, foe of the lord of the gods — the tormentor, verily a thorn to ascetics; deliver the ascetics from that bringer of terror.

Words: tad — so, therefore; uddhataṃ — arrogant, haughty; rāvaṇam — Rāvaṇa; ṛddhatejasaṃ — of swollen might; pravṛddhadarpaṃ — of overweening pride; tridaśeśvaradviṣam — foe of the lord of the gods; virāvaṇaṃ — the tormentor (who makes cry out); sādhu — verily, well; tapasvikaṇṭakaṃ — a thorn to ascetics; tapasvinām — of the ascetics; uddhara — deliver, uproot; taṃ — that; bhayāvaham — bringer of terror

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.