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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.34.10
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 34: Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Himavat’s two daughters. Himavat gives Gaṅgā to the Devas for the worlds’ welfare, while Umā undertakes austerity and marries Śiva
In the sequence: Rāma asks how Gaṅgā came to travel through the three worlds. Viśvāmitra explains that Himavat and Menā, daughter of Meru, had two daughters: Gaṅgā the elder and Umā the younger
1.34.10
saṃprahṛṣṭamanā rāmo viśvāmitram athābravīt
bhagavañ śrotum icchāmi gaṅgāṃ tripathagāṃ nadīm
trailokyaṃ katham ākramya gatā nadanadīpatim
With a delighted heart Rāma then said to Viśvāmitra: “Venerable one, I wish to hear of the river Gaṅgā, who goes by three paths — how, traversing the three worlds, she reached the lord of streams and rivers.
Words: saṃprahṛṣṭamanā — with a delighted heart; rāmo — Rāma; viśvāmitram — to Viśvāmitra; athābravīt — then said; bhagavañ — O venerable one; śrotum — to hear; icchāmi — I wish; gaṅgāṃ — Gaṅgā; tripathagāṃ — going by three paths; nadīm — the river; trailokyaṃ — the three worlds; katham — how; ākramya — having traversed, strode over; gatā — went, reached; nadanadīpatim — the lord of streams and rivers (the ocean)
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.