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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.60.18

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 60: Story of Viśvāmitra: Śunaḥśepa is bought for sacrifice. Indra steals Ambarīṣa’s sacrificial victim, the King purchases Śunaḥśepa after the boy’s parents reserve their eldest and youngest sons

In the sequence: Ṛcīka refuses to sell the eldest, and the mother insists on keeping the youngest, Śunaka

1.60.18

prāyeṇa hi naraśreṣṭha jyeṣṭhāḥ pitṛṣu vallabhāḥ
mātḥṇāṃ ca kanīyāṃsas tasmād rakṣe kanīyasaṃ

'For generally, O best of men, eldest sons are dear to fathers, and the youngest to mothers; therefore I would keep the youngest.'

Words: prāyeṇa — generally, usually; hi — for; naraśreṣṭha — O best of men; jyeṣṭhāḥ — the eldest (sons); pitṛṣu — to, among fathers; vallabhāḥ — dear, beloved; mātḥṇāṃ — of mothers; ca — and; kanīyāṃsas — the younger (ones); tasmād — therefore; rakṣe — I keep, protect; kanīyasaṃ — the youngest

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.