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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.61.4

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: thirsty and exhausted, Śunaḥśepa sees Viśvāmitra and falls into his lap → feeling abandoned by his family, he begs the muni to save him while allowing the King's sacrifice to succeed

1.61.4

na me 'sti mātā na pitā jñātayo bāndhavāḥ kutaḥ
trātum arhasi māṃ saumya dharmeṇa munipuṃgava

“I have no mother, no father — where then kinsmen or relatives? You ought to save me by righteousness, gentle one, O bull among sages.

Words: na — not; me — to me; 'sti — is; mātā — a mother; na — not; pitā — a father; jñātayo — kinsmen; bāndhavāḥ — relatives; kutaḥ — whence, where; trātum — to save; arhasi — you ought; māṃ — me; saumya — gentle one; dharmeṇa — by righteousness; munipuṃgava — O bull among sages

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.