पादबद्धोऽक्षरसमस्तन्त्रीलयसमन्वितः | शोकार्तस्य प्रवृत्तो मे श्लोको भवतु नान्यथा || १-२-१८
shiShyaH tu tasya bruvato muner vaakyam anuttamam | prati jagraaha saMtushhTaH tasya tuShToaH abhavat muniH || 1-2-19
Translation
"While I was tormented by grief, there arose a sentence consisting of four verses possessing metrically posited letters suitable to be played as song and string music and that will be called Shloka, not otherwise..." [1-2-18]
Audio Recitation
Word by word
me shokaartasya
while I was tormented by grief
pravR^ittaH
[there] arose
paadabaddhaH
[a sentence] consisting of verses
tantriilayasamanvitaH
possessing[suitable for] union of song and string music
akSharasamaH
metrically posited letters
shlokaH bhavatu
[that] will be [called] Shloka
na anyathaa
not otherwise.
Chapter context
Valmiki gets divine guidance to compile the epic
41 verses · Verse 18 of 41
41% through chapter