Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 2: Lord Brahmā Instructs Vālmīki
Text 1.2.16
तस्यैवं ब्रुवतश्चिन्ता बभूव हृदि वीक्षतः।
शोकार्तेनास्य शकुनेः किमिदं व्याहृतं मया॥
tasyaivaṁ bruvataś cintā babhūva hṛdi vīkṣataḥ
śokārtenāsya śakuneḥ kim idaṁ vyāhṛtaṁ mayā
tasya = of the sage; evam bruvataḥ = and while uttering [the previous verse]; cintā = a thought; babhūva = appeared; hṛdi = in the heart; vīkṣataḥ = while watching; śoka-ārtena = distressed by the lamentation; asya = of this; śakuneḥ = of bird; kim idam = oh, what; vyāhṛtam = did utter; mayā = I.
While watching the krauñca couple and while uttering the previous verse, a thought appeared in the heart of the sage: “Oh, what did I, distressed by the lamentation of this bird, utter?”
The sage asked himself, “What sort of statement did I make?”