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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.7.5

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 7: The ministers who sustain the Kingdom. Ministers and priests advise Daśaratha, gather intelligence, maintain the treasury and army, and administer justice without favour

In the sequence: the narrator describes their learning, courage, restraint, honesty, and attention to duty

1.7.5

tejaḥkṣamāyaśaḥprāptāḥ smitapūrvābhibhāṣiṇaḥ
krodhāt kāmārthahetor vā na brūyur anṛtaṃ vacaḥ

Possessed of energy, forbearance, and renown, addressing (others) with a smile, they would never utter a false word, whether out of anger or for the sake of desire or gain.

Words: tejaḥkṣamāyaśaḥprāptāḥ — having attained energy, forbearance and fame; smitapūrvābhibhāṣiṇaḥ — speaking with a smile first (smiling as they speak); krodhāt — out of anger; kāmārthahetor — for the sake of desire or gain; vā — or; na — not; brūyur — would they speak; anṛtaṃ — untrue, false; vacaḥ — a word, speech

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.