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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.4.16

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 listeners weep, praise the sweetness of the verses and singing, and say the distant events seem to happen before their eyes

1.4.16

aho gītasya mādhuryaṃ ślokānāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ
ciranirvṛttam apy etat pratyakṣam iva darśitam

“Ah, the sweetness of the singing, and of the ślokas especially! Though it took place long ago, it has been shown as if before our very eyes.”

Words: aho — ah! (exclamation); gītasya — of the singing; mādhuryaṃ — the sweetness; ślokānāṃ ca — and of the ślokas; viśeṣataḥ — especially; ciranirvṛttam — occurred long ago; apy etat — even this; pratyakṣam iva — as if directly before the eyes; darśitam — shown, made visible

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.