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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.66.14

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 66: Rāma breaks Śiva’s bow: Janaka confirms the marriage. Rāma lifts, strings and breaks the bow, Janaka declares his marriage condition fulfilled and sends envoys to seek Daśaratha’s consent

In the sequence: Viśvāmitra invites Rāma to look → Rāma opens the chest and asks permission to lift and draw the bow

1.66.14

idaṃ dhanurvaraṃ brahman saṃspṛśāmīha pāṇinā
yatnavāṃś ca bhaviṣyāmi tolane pūraṇe 'pi vā

“This excellent bow, O brahmin, I now touch with my hand; I will make an effort at lifting it, or even at drawing it.”

Words: idaṃ — this; dhanurvaraṃ — excellent bow; brahman — O brahmin; saṃspṛśāmīha — I touch here; pāṇinā — with the hand; yatnavāṃś ca — and making effort; bhaviṣyāmi — I shall be; tolane — in lifting; pūraṇe — in drawing, bending; 'pi vā — or even

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.