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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.2.15
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 2: Grief becomes the first śloka. A bird’s death moves Vālmīki to utter the first śloka, Brahmā asks him to compose Rāma’s life in that form
In the sequence: moved by compassion and anger at the cruelty, Vālmīki declares that the hunter will find no lasting rest for killing one of the loving pair. Vālmīki wonders at the words that have burst from his grief
1.2.15
tasyaivaṃ bruvataś cintā babhūva hṛdi vīkṣataḥ
śokārtenāsya śakuneḥ kim idaṃ vyāhṛtaṃ mayā
As he spoke thus and reflected, a thought arose in his heart: “Stricken with grief for this bird, what is this that I have uttered?”
Words: tasyaivaṃ bruvataś — as he was speaking thus; cintā — a thought, reflection; babhūva — arose, came to be; hṛdi — in the heart; vīkṣataḥ — of him considering; śokārtenāsya — by him stricken with grief for it; śakuneḥ — for the bird; kim idaṃ — what is this; vyāhṛtaṃ — uttered, spoken; mayā — by me
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.