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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.17.9

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

1.17.9

atha lakṣmaṇaśatrughnau sumitrājanayat sutau
vīrau sarvāstrakuśalau viṣṇor ardhasamanvitau

Then Sumitrā gave birth to two sons, Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna, heroes skilled in all weapons, endowed with (portions of the remaining) half of Viṣṇu.

Words: atha — then; lakṣmaṇaśatrughnau — Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna; sumitrājanayat — Sumitrā gave birth to; sutau — two sons; vīrau — two heroes; sarvāstrakuśalau — skilled in all weapons; viṣṇor — of Viṣṇu; ardhasamanvitau — endowed with (a share of the) half

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.