Valmiki Ramayana — Bala Kanda · Chapter 2

Origin of the Shloka

श्लोकोत्पत्तिः

Valmiki witnesses the krauncha bird's death and the first verse arises

Translated by Manmatha Nath Dutt (1894), public domain — modernised

Partial chapter. Opening 5 verses; the famous shloka (v.15 in full text) is included below.

VERSE 1

नारदस्य तु तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा वाक्यविशारदः। पूजयामास धर्मात्मा सहशिष्यो महामुनिम्॥

nāradasya tu tad-vākyaṁ śrutvā vākya-viśāradaḥ । pūjayāmāsa dharmātmā saha-śiṣyo mahā-munim ॥

Hearing those words of Narada, the righteous one — skilled in speech — together with his disciples, paid homage to the great sage.

VERSE 2

ततो भूयस्तु धर्मात्मा वाल्मीकिः शिष्यसंयुतः। अगच्छत्तमसातीरं जाह्नव्यास्त्वविदूरतः॥

tato bhūyas tu dharmātmā vālmīkiḥ śiṣya-saṁyutaḥ । agacchat tamasā-tīraṁ jāhnavyās tv avidūrataḥ ॥

Then the righteous Valmiki, attended by his disciples, went to the bank of the river Tamasa, not far from the Ganga.

VERSE 3

स तु तीरं समासाद्य तमसाया मुनिस्तदा। शिष्यमाह स्थितं पार्श्वे दृष्ट्वा तीर्थमकर्दमम्॥

sa tu tīraṁ samāsādya tamasāyā munis tadā । śiṣyam āha sthitaṁ pārśve dṛṣṭvā tīrtham akardamam ॥

Reaching the bank of the Tamasa and seeing the bathing-place free of mud, the sage said to his disciple standing nearby:

VERSE 4

अकर्दममिदं तीर्थं भरद्वाज निशामय। रमणीयं प्रसन्नाम्भु सन्मनुष्यमनो यथा॥

akardamam idaṁ tīrthaṁ bharadvāja niśāmaya । ramaṇīyaṁ prasannāmbhu san-manuṣya-mano yathā ॥

'Behold, O Bharadvaja! This bathing-place is free of mud — its waters clear and lovely, like the mind of a virtuous man.'

VERSE 5

मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः। यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितम्॥

mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvam agamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ । yat krauñca-mithunād ekam avadhīḥ kāma-mohitam ॥

'O hunter, mayest thou never attain abiding fame for endless years — because thou hast slain one of the krauncha-pair, distracted by love.' (This spontaneous outburst of grief — the very first shloka — gave the metre its name.)