← 1.66.20 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 66: Rāma breaks Śiva’s bow: Janaka confirms the marriage · 1.66.22 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.66.21
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: the crack sounds like thunder and the earth shakes → everyone falls stunned except Viśvāmitra, Janaka, Rāma, and Lakṣmaṇa. When the gathering recovers, Janaka declares that this extraordinary feat has fulfilled his vow and that Sītā will marry Rāma
1.66.21
bhagavan dṛṣṭavīryo me rāmo daśarathātmajaḥ
atyadbhutam acintyaṃ ca atarkitam idaṃ mayā
“Venerable one, the valor of Rāma, son of Daśaratha, has been witnessed by me; this was utterly wondrous, unimaginable, and undreamt of by me.
Words: bhagavan — O venerable one; dṛṣṭavīryo — whose valor has been seen; me — by me; rāmo — Rāma; daśarathātmajaḥ — son of Daśaratha; atyadbhutam — utterly wondrous; acintyaṃ — unimaginable; ca — and; atarkitam — undreamt of, unexpected; idaṃ — this; mayā — by me
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.