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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.40.17
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 40: Story of Sagara: Aṃśumat retrieves the horse. Aṃśumat recovers the horse and finds his uncles’ ashes, Garuḍa says only Gaṅgā can redeem them, Sagara completes the sacrifice but cannot bring her down
In the sequence: he explains that Kapila burned them and that ordinary water will not suffice → only Gaṅgā can purify their ashes and lead the sixty thousand to heaven
1.40.17
sa cainam abravīd vākyaṃ vainateyo mahābalaḥ
mā śucaḥ puruṣavyāghra vadho 'yaṃ lokasaṃmataḥ
And that mighty son of Vinatā (Garuḍa) spoke this word to him: “Do not grieve, O tiger among men; this destruction is approved by the world.
Words: sa — he; cainam — and to him; abravīd — said; vākyaṃ — word; vainateyo — the son of Vinatā (Garuḍa); mahābalaḥ — the mighty; mā — do not; śucaḥ — grieve; puruṣavyāghra — O tiger among men; vadho 'yaṃ — this destruction; lokasaṃmataḥ — approved by the world
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.