← 1.57.17 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 57: Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s curse and appeal for refuge · 1.57.19 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.57.18

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 57: Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s curse and appeal for refuge. Vasiṣṭha’s sons reject and curse Triśaṅku, his followers abandon him and he asks Viśvāmitra to overcome his fate

In the sequence: Triśaṅku explains the rejection, his wish for bodily ascent, and his record of truthful speech, sacrifice, and righteous rule

1.57.18

anṛtaṃ nokta pūrvaṃ me na ca vakṣye kadā cana
kṛcchreṣv api gataḥ saumya kṣatradharmeṇa te śape

'No falsehood has been spoken by me before, nor shall I ever speak it; even when fallen into distress, O gentle one, I swear to you by the law of kṣatriyas.'

Words: anṛtaṃ — falsehood, untruth; nokta — has not been spoken; pūrvaṃ — before, formerly; me — by me; na ca vakṣye — and I shall not speak; kadā cana — ever; kṛcchreṣv api — even in distresses; gataḥ — fallen (into); saumya — O gentle one; kṣatradharmeṇa — by the law of kṣatriyas; te — to you; śape — I swear

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.