← 1.44.1 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 44: Story of Indra: Ocean churning and the struggle for nectar · 1.44.3 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.44.2

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: The brothers marvel at Gaṅgā's descent and the filling of the ocean → they spend the night reflecting on the story, which makes the hours seem brief

1.44.2

atyadbhutam idaṃ brahman kathitaṃ paramaṃ tvayā
gaṅgāvataraṇaṃ puṇyaṃ sāgarasya ca pūraṇam

“Most wonderful is this supreme (tale) told by you, O brahmin — the holy descent of the Gaṅgā and the filling of the ocean.

Words: atyadbhutam — most wonderful; idaṃ — this; brahman — O brahmin; kathitaṃ — told, narrated; paramaṃ — supreme, highest; tvayā — by you; gaṅgāvataraṇaṃ — the descent of the Gaṅgā; puṇyaṃ — holy, sacred; sāgarasya — of the ocean; ca — and; pūraṇam — the filling

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.