Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 2: Lord Brahmā Instructs Vālmīki
Text 1.2.41
तस्य बुद्धिरियं जाता वाल्मीकेर्भावितात्मनः।
कृत्स्नं रामायणं काव्यमीदृशैः करवाण्यहम्॥
tasya buddhir iyaṁ jātā vālmīker bhāvitātmanaḥ
kṛtsnaṁ rāmāyaṇaṁ kāvyam īdṛśaiḥ karavāṇy aham
tasya = the sage; buddhiḥ = idea; iyam = this; jātā = then got vālmīkeḥ = Vālmiki; bhāvita-ātmanaḥ = meditating on the Supreme Soul Nārāyaṇa; kṛtsnam = the entire; rāmāyaṇam = Rāmāyaṇa; kāvyam = poem; īdṛśaiḥ = with such verses; karavāṇi = will compose; aham = I.
The sage Vālmīki, meditating on the Supreme Soul Nārāyaṇa, then got this idea: “I will compose the entire poem Rāmāyaṇa with such verses.”
The sage then describes how he resolved to go about his composition. Bhāvitātmanaḥ indicates that he contemplated on the Supreme Soul, Lord Nārāyaṇa. This further indicates that the sage had invoked auspiciousness as required in the beginning to ward off possible obstacles. The sage resolved that he would compose the entire poem named Rāmāyaṇa in verses such as text 15. Īdṛśaiḥ indicates that most of the verses of the Rāmāyaṇa would be in the śloka meter; here and there, Śrī Vālmīki uses verses of other genres.