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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.4.13

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 4: Kuśa & Lava perform the poem. Kuśa & Lava learn and perform the poem, their singing moves the ṛṣis and brings them before Rāma

In the sequence: the work is called the Rāmāyaṇa, the great story of Sītā, and the slaying of Pulastya's descendant → the brothers master its musical tempos, modes, lute accompaniment, and varied emotions, resembling Rāma himself in appearance. Kuśa and Lava sing before assemblies of ṛṣis and dvijas

1.4.13

tau kadā cit sametānām ṛṣīṇāṃ bhāvitātmanām
āsīnānāṃ samīpasthāv idaṃ kāvyam agāyatām

Once, standing near the assembled seers of purified soul as they sat, the two sang this poem.

Words: tau — the two; kadā cit — once, at one time; sametānām — of the assembled; ṛṣīṇāṃ — of the seers; bhāvitātmanām — of purified souls; āsīnānāṃ — as they were seated; samīpasthāv — the two standing near; idaṃ kāvyam — this poem; agāyatām — the two sang

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.