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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.8.5
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 8: Daśaratha seeks sons: Sumantra’s prophecy. Daśaratha proposes a sacrifice for sons, Sumantra recalls Sanatkumāra’s prophecy and the story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s arrival in drought-stricken Aṅga
In the sequence: privately, Sumantra recalls a prophecy he heard Sanatkumāra tell the ṛṣis. In Sumantra's account, Vibhāṇḍaka, son of Kaśyapa, raises his son, the muni Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, entirely in the forest, where he knows only his father, the sacred fire, and their disciplined way of life
1.8.5
etac chrutvā rahaḥ sūto rājānam idam abravīt
ṛtvigbhir upadiṣṭo 'yaṃ purāvṛtto mayā śrutaḥ
Hearing this, the charioteer spoke this to the king in private: “This story, taught by the ṛtvij-priests, an event of ancient times, was heard by me.
Words: etac — this; chrutvā — having heard; rahaḥ — in private, secretly; sūto — the charioteer (Sūta); rājānam — to the king; idam — this; abravīt — said; ṛtvigbhir — by the ṛtvij-priests; upadiṣṭo — taught, imparted; 'yaṃ — this; purāvṛtto — an event of old times; mayā — by me; śrutaḥ — heard
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.