← 1.45.21 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 45: Story of Indra & Diti: Service, broken observance and division

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.45.22

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 45: Story of Indra & Diti: Service, broken observance and division. Diti seeks a son to kill Indra, he serves her during her observance and exploits her sleeping posture to enter her body and divide the fetus into seven

In the sequence: with joined palms and thunderbolt still in hand, he explains that he acted during her lapse to divide the future slayer of Indra, and asks forgiveness.

1.45.22

tadantaram ahaṃ labdhvā śakrahantāram āhave
abhindaṃ saptadhā devi tan me tvaṃ kṣantum arhasi

Seizing that opportunity, O lady, I split into seven the one (destined to be) the slayer of Śakra in battle; for that you ought to forgive me.’

Words: tadantaram — that opportunity, interval; ahaṃ — I; labdhvā — having obtained, seized; śakrahantāram — the slayer of Śakra; āhave — in battle; abhindaṃ — I split, cleft; saptadhā — sevenfold, into seven; devi — O lady; tan — that; me — me, for me; tvaṃ — you; kṣantum — to forgive, pardon; arhasi — you ought

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.