← 1.40.2 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 40: Story of Sagara: Aṃśumat retrieves the horse · 1.40.4 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.40.3

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

1.40.3

antarbhaumāni sattvāni vīryavanti mahānti ca
teṣāṃ tvaṃ pratighātārthaṃ sāsiṃ gṛhṇīṣva kārmukam

Beneath the earth are creatures mighty and huge; to ward them off, take up your sword and bow.

Words: antarbhaumāni — subterranean, beneath the earth; sattvāni — creatures, beings; vīryavanti — mighty, valiant; mahānti — huge, great; ca — and; teṣāṃ — of them; tvaṃ — you; pratighātārthaṃ — for the purpose of warding off; sāsiṃ — together with your sword; gṛhṇīṣva — take up, grasp; kārmukam — the bow

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.