← 1.4.5 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 4: Kuśa & Lava perform the poem · 1.4.7 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.4.6
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
1.4.6
kāvyaṃ rāmāyaṇaṃ kṛtsnaṃ sītāyāś caritaṃ mahat
paulastya vadham ity eva cakāra caritavrataḥ
He of accomplished vows composed the entire poem, the Rāmāyaṇa — the great story of Sītā, also called “the Slaying of the Descendant of Pulastya (Rāvaṇa).”
Words: kāvyaṃ — the poem; rāmāyaṇaṃ — the Rāmāyaṇa; kṛtsnaṃ — entire; sītāyāś — of Sītā; caritaṃ — the story; mahat — great; paulastyavadham — ‘the Slaying of the Paulastya (Rāvaṇa)’; ity eva — thus indeed; cakāra — made, composed; caritavrataḥ — he of accomplished vows
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.