← 1.17.9 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 17: Birth and upbringing of the princes; Viśvāmitra’s arrival · 1.17.11 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.17.10
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 17: Birth and upbringing of the princes; Viśvāmitra’s arrival. Daśaratha’s four sons are born and grow devoted in pairs, Viśvāmitra arrives and receives the King’s promise to fulfil his request
In the sequence: Kausalyā gives birth to Rāma, Kaikeyī to Bharata, and Sumitrā to Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna → all four are described as divine portions, virtuous and radiant
1.17.10
rājñaḥ putrā mahātmānaś catvāro jajñire pṛthak
guṇavanto 'nurūpāś ca rucyā proṣṭhapadopamāḥ
The four great-souled sons of the king were born, each apart, virtuous and comely, in radiance like the Proṣṭhapadā stars.
Words: rājñaḥ — of the king; putrā — sons; mahātmānaś — great-souled; catvāro — four; jajñire — were born; pṛthak — severally, each apart; guṇavanto — virtuous; 'nurūpāś — comely, well-formed; ca — and; rucyā — in radiance, brightness; proṣṭhapadopamāḥ — like the Proṣṭhapadā (stars)
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.