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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.74.5

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 74: Paraśurāma: The two divine bows and the challenge. Paraśurāma ignores Daśaratha’s plea, recounts the rival divine bows and his vengeance, and challenges Rāma to string Viṣṇu’s bow

In the sequence: Daśaratha begs him to spare his sons, reminding him that he had laid down arms, given the earth to Kaśyapa, and retired to Mahendra → he says none of the family can live if Rāma is killed

1.74.5

tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā rājā daśarataḥs tadā
viṣaṇṇavadano dīnaḥ prāñjalir vākyam abravīt

Hearing that speech of his, King Daśaratha then, his face fallen and himself wretched, with palms joined, spoke these words:

Words: tasya — his; tadvacanaṃ — that speech; śrutvā — having heard; rājā — the king; daśarataḥs — Daśaratha; tadā — then; viṣaṇṇavadano — with despondent face; dīnaḥ — wretched, distressed; prāñjalir — with palms joined; vākyam — words; abravīt — spoke

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.