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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.61.21
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
1.61.21
rājasiṃha mahāsattva śīghraṃ gacchāvahe sadaḥ
nivartayasva rājendra dīkṣāṃ ca samupāhara
“O lion among kings, O greatly mighty one, let us quickly go to the sacrificial assembly; turn back thither, O king of kings, and undertake the consecration.”
Words: rājasiṃha — O lion among kings; mahāsattva — O greatly mighty one; śīghraṃ — quickly; gacchāvahe — let us two go; sadaḥ — to the sacrificial assembly; nivartayasva — turn back, return; rājendra — O king of kings; dīkṣāṃ — the consecration; ca — and; samupāhara — undertake, set about
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.