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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.2.22

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: Brahmā appears → Vālmīki rises in astonishment, joins his palms, and offers water for the feet, the guest-offering, a seat, and reverent greetings → after Brahmā sits, Vālmīki sits at his invitation

1.2.22

ājagāma tato brahmā lokakartā svayaṃprabhuḥ
caturmukho mahātejā draṣṭuṃ taṃ munipuṃgavam

Then Brahmā, maker of the worlds, the self-existent lord, four-faced and of great splendour, came to see that bull among sages.

Words: ājagāma — came; tato — then; brahmā — Brahmā; lokakartā — the maker of the worlds; svayaṃprabhuḥ — the self-existent lord; caturmukho — four-faced; mahātejā — of great splendour; draṣṭuṃ — to see; taṃ — that; munipuṃgavam — 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.