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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.61.9

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: Viśvāmitra comforts him, then asks his own sons to substitute for the boy as the victim

1.61.9

ayaṃ munisuto bālo mattaḥ śaraṇam icchati
asya jīvitamātreṇa priyaṃ kuruta putrakāḥ

This young son of a sage seeks refuge with me. Do him a kindness merely by (granting) his life, my dear sons.

Words: ayaṃ — this; munisuto — son of a sage; bālo — boy, young; mattaḥ — from me; śaraṇam — refuge, protection; icchati — seeks; asya — his; jīvitamātreṇa — merely by (granting) his life; priyaṃ — a kindness, favor; kuruta — do; putrakāḥ — my dear sons

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.