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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.36.5

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: Brahmā says that Umā's curse stands: they can have no children by their own wives

1.36.5

devatānāṃ vacaḥ śrutvā sarvalokapitāmahaḥ
sāntvayan madhurair vākyais tridaśān idam abravīt

Having heard the speech of the deities, the Grandsire of all the worlds, soothing the gods with sweet words, said this:

Words: devatānāṃ — of the deities; vacaḥ — speech, words; śrutvā — having heard; sarvalokapitāmahaḥ — the Grandsire of all worlds; sāntvayan — soothing, consoling; madhurair — with sweet; vākyais — words; tridaśān — the gods (the Thirty); idam — this; abravīt — said

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.