← 1.16.4 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 16: The Devas beget Rāma’s future allies · 1.16.6 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.16.5
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 16: The Devas beget Rāma’s future allies. Brahmā directs the Devas to beget powerful helpers, their monkey-shaped sons inherit divine qualities and gather around Vālin & Sugrīva
In the sequence: he directs them to beget vānara-shaped sons through apsarases, gandharvīs, daughters of yakṣas and pannagas, and ṛkṣa, vidyādharī, kiṃnarī and vānarī females
1.16.5
apsaraḥsu ca mukhyāsu gandharvīṇāṃ tanūṣu ca
yakṣapannagakanyāsu ṛṣkavidyādharīṣu ca
Upon the chief apsarases and upon the bodies of gandharva-women, upon the daughters of yakṣas and serpents, and upon female bears and vidyādhara-women,
Words: apsaraḥsu — upon the apsarases; ca — and; mukhyāsu — the chief, foremost; gandharvīṇāṃ — of the gandharva-women; tanūṣu — upon the bodies; ca — and; yakṣapannagakanyāsu — upon the daughters of yakṣas and serpents; ṛṣkavidyādharīṣu — upon female bears and vidyādhara-women; ca — and
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.