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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.67.28

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 67: Story of Kabandha. A ṛṣi’s curse and Indra’s thunderbolt produced his deformed body, he asks for cremation to restore his discernment and name a helpful ally

In the sequence: he asks them to burn him before sunset → once restored, he will name a knowledgeable and trustworthy ally who can help them find the abductor.

3.67.28

kiṃ tu yāvan na yāty astaṃ savitā śrāntavāhanaḥ
tāvan mām avaṭe kṣiptvā daha rāma yathāvidhi

“But before the sun, its horses wearied, goes to its setting, cast me into a pit and burn me, Rāma, according to rule.

Words: kiṃ tu — but, however; yāvan — as long as, before; na — not; yāty — goes; astaṃ — to setting; savitā — the sun; śrāntavāhanaḥ — with wearied steeds; tāvan — so long, by then; mām — me; avaṭe — in a pit; kṣiptvā — having cast; daha — burn; rāma — O Rāma; yathāvidhi — according to rule

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.