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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.44.13

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 44: Story of Indra: Ocean churning and the struggle for nectar. The Devas and asuras churn the ocean for freedom from death, contend over its gifts and fight for the nectar, Indra’s side gains sovereignty

In the sequence: Rāma asks about its dynasty → Viśvāmitra begins with what happened in this region in ancient times. In the Kṛta age, the sons of Diti and Aditi seek freedom from death, aging, and disease

1.44.13

śrūyatāṃ rāma śakrasya kathāṃ kathayataḥ śubhām
asmin deśe hi yad vṛttaṃ śṛṇu tattvena rāghava

“Listen, Rāma, to the auspicious tale of Śakra (Indra) as I tell it; hear truly, Rāghava, what happened in this land.

Words: śrūyatāṃ — let it be heard; rāma — O Rāma; śakrasya — of Śakra (Indra); kathāṃ — tale, story; kathayataḥ — of me telling; śubhām — auspicious; asmin — in this; deśe — land, place; hi — for, indeed; yad vṛttaṃ — what happened; śṛṇu — hear, listen; tattvena — truly, in truth; rāghava — O Rāghava

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.