← 1.40.1 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 40: Story of Sagara: Aṃśumat retrieves the horse · 1.40.3 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.40.2

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: When his sons fail to return, Sagara sends Aṃśumat after them, armed with bow and sword and instructed to honor worthy beings while overcoming obstruction

1.40.2

śūraś ca kṛtavidyaś ca pūrvais tulyo 'si tejasā
pitḥṇāṃ gatim anviccha yena cāśvo 'pahāritaḥ

“You are valiant and accomplished in learning, equal in splendour to your forebears; seek the track of your forefathers, and (learn) by whom the horse was carried off.

Words: śūraś — valiant; ca — and; kṛtavidyaś — accomplished in learning; ca — and; pūrvais — with the forebears, ancestors; tulyo — equal; 'si — you are; tejasā — in splendour; pitḥṇāṃ — of the forefathers; gatim — the track, way, fate; anviccha — seek out, search for; yena — by whom; cāśvo — and the horse; 'pahāritaḥ — was carried off

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.