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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.36.2

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: While Śiva is away at his penance with Umā, the Suras, needing a war commander, approach Brahmā

1.36.2

tato 'bruvan surāḥ sarve bhagavantaṃ pitāmaham
praṇipatya śubhaṃ vākyaṃ sendrāḥ sāgnipurogamāḥ

Then all the gods, headed by Indra and Agni, bowing down, spoke this auspicious word to the venerable Grandsire:

Words: tato — then; 'bruvan — spoke; surāḥ — the gods; sarve — all; bhagavantaṃ — the venerable; pitāmaham — Grandsire; praṇipatya — having bowed down; śubhaṃ — auspicious; vākyaṃ — word, speech; sendrāḥ — together with Indra; sāgnipurogamāḥ — with Agni at their head

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.