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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.2.16

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

1.2.16

cintayan sa mahāprājñaś cakāra matimān matim
śiṣyaṃ caivābravīd vākyam idaṃ sa munipuṃgavaḥ

Pondering, that man of great wisdom, intelligent, made up his mind; and that bull among sages spoke these words to his disciple:

Words: cintayan — pondering; sa — he; mahāprājñaś — the greatly wise; cakāra — made, formed; matimān — the intelligent one; matim — a resolve, thought; śiṣyaṃ — to the disciple; caivābravīd — and spoke; vākyam idaṃ — these words; sa — he; munipuṃgavaḥ — the bull among sages

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.