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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.61.20

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 61: Story of Viśvāmitra: Two verses save Śunaḥśepa. Śunaḥśepa seeks protection, Viśvāmitra curses his sons for refusing substitution and teaches two verses that preserve the boy’s life and fulfil the sacrifice

In the sequence: Having learned them, Śunaḥśepa urges Ambarīṣa to return quickly and proceed

1.61.20

śunaḥśepo gṛhītvā te dve gāthe susamāhitaḥ
tvarayā rājasiṃhaṃ tam ambarīṣam uvāca ha

Śunaḥśepa, having learned those two verses, well composed, quickly spoke to that lion among kings, Ambarīṣa:

Words: śunaḥśepo — Śunaḥśepa; gṛhītvā — having grasped, learned; te — those; dve — two; gāthe — verses; susamāhitaḥ — well composed, intent; tvarayā — with haste, quickly; rājasiṃhaṃ — the lion among kings; tam — that; ambarīṣam — Ambarīṣa; uvāca — spoke; ha — indeed

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.