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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.2.36

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 promises that the story will endure as long as mountains and rivers, and that Vālmīki will dwell in his worlds while it circulates

1.2.36

yāvad rāmasya ca kathā tvatkṛtā pracariṣyati
tāvad ūrdhvam adhaś ca tvaṃ mallokeṣu nivatsyasi

And as long as the story of Rāma composed by you shall spread, so long will you dwell, above and below, in my worlds.

Words: yāvad — as long as; rāmasya ca kathā — and the story of Rāma; tvatkṛtā — made by you; pracariṣyati — will spread, circulate; tāvad — so long; ūrdhvam — above; adhaś ca — and below; tvaṃ — you; mallokeṣu — in my worlds; nivatsyasi — will dwell, abide

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.