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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.103.3

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 103: Bharata attempts a fast. He spreads grass and refuses to leave, then offers to serve the exile himself, Rāma rejects substitution and promises to rule after fourteen years

In the sequence: Vasiṣṭha adds that a teacher, like a father and mother, deserves obedience, and asks Rāma to heed him

2.103.3

pitā hy enaṃ janayati puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha
prajñāṃ dadāti cācāryas tasmāt sa gurur ucyate

For the father begets this man, O bull among men, and the teacher bestows wisdom — therefore he too is called a guru.

Words: pitā — the father; hy — for; enaṃ — this; janayati — begets; puruṣaṃ — man; puruṣarṣabha — O bull among men; prajñāṃ — wisdom; dadāti — gives; cācāryas — and the teacher; tasmāt — therefore; sa — he; gurur — guru; ucyate — is called

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.