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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.36.18

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 36: Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Kārttikeya’s birth and six nurses. Gaṅgā releases Agni’s unbearable embryo onto the mountain, its radiance produces minerals and six Kṛttikās nurse the child who becomes the Devas’ commander

In the sequence: copper and iron arise from its fierce heat, while its dross becomes tin and lead → the deposit gives rise to the minerals

1.36.18

yad asyā nirgataṃ tasmāt taptajāmbūnadaprabham
kāñcanaṃ dharaṇīṃ prāptaṃ hiraṇyam amalaṃ śubham

That which issued from her, gleaming like refined river-gold, became, on reaching the earth, gold — pure and lovely bullion.

Words: yad — that which; asyā — from her; nirgataṃ — issued forth, come out; tasmāt — from that; taptajāmbūnadaprabham — with the luster of refined river-gold; kāñcanaṃ — gold; dharaṇīṃ — the earth; prāptaṃ — having reached; hiraṇyam — gold, bullion; amalaṃ — pure, spotless; śubham — lovely, bright

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.