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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.20.8

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 20: Vasiṣṭha’s intervention: The promise and Viśvāmitra’s powers. Viśvāmitra threatens to leave, Vasiṣṭha urges Daśaratha to honour his promise and assures him of the ṛṣi’s power to protect Rāma

In the sequence: Vasiṣṭha intervenes, reminding Daśaratha of his duty and warning that a broken promise would destroy the merit of his sacrifices and good works

1.20.8

saṃśrutyaivaṃ kariṣyāmīty akurvāṇasya rāghava
iṣṭāpūrtavadho bhūyāt tasmād rāmaṃ visarjaya

Having promised 'I will do thus,' if you fail to do it, O Rāghava, the destruction of the merit of your sacrifices and pious works would follow; therefore send Rāma forth.

Words: saṃśrutyaivaṃ — having promised thus; kariṣyāmīty — ‘I shall do,’ thus; akurvāṇasya — of one not doing (it); rāghava — O Rāghava; iṣṭāpūrtavadho — the destruction of (merit from) sacrifices and pious works; bhūyāt — would arise, be; tasmād — therefore; rāmaṃ — Rāma; visarjaya — send forth

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.