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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.42.15

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 42: Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā’s descent through Śiva’s hair. Śiva catches the falling river in his matted hair, Bhagīratha wins her release and leads the purifying waters across the earth

In the sequence: the currents race, bend, rise, slow, collide, and leap upward before falling again

1.42.15

salilenaiva salilaṃ kva cid abhyāhataṃ punaḥ
muhur ūrdhvapathaṃ gatvā papāta vasudhāṃ punaḥ

In one place water dashed against water again; and again and again, having risen up into the sky, it fell back to the earth.

Words: salilenaiva — by water itself; salilaṃ — water; kva cid — in one place, somewhere; abhyāhataṃ — dashed against, struck; punaḥ — again; muhur — again and again; ūrdhvapathaṃ — the upward path, the sky; gatvā — having gone; papāta — fell; vasudhāṃ — to the earth; punaḥ — again

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.