स च ज्येष्ठो नरश्रेष्ठः सगरस्यात्मसम्भवः।
बालान्गृहीत्वा तु जले सरय्वा रघुनन्दन।
प्रक्षिप्य प्रहसन्नित्यं मज्जतस्तान्समीक्ष्य वै॥
sa ca jyeṣṭho nara-śreṣṭhaḥ sagarasyātma-sambhavaḥ
bālān gṛhītvā tu jale sarayvā raghu-nandana
prakṣipya prahasan nityaṁ majjatas tān samīkṣya vai
saḥ ca jyeṣṭhaḥ = the eldest; nara-śreṣṭhaḥ = price; sagarasya ātma-sambhavaḥ = born of Sagara; bālān = small boys; gṛhītvā tu = would catch; jale = in the water; sarayvāḥ = of the Sarayū; raghu-nandana = O beloved child of Raghus; prakṣipya = dip them; prahasan = stand and laugh at them; nityam = daily; majjataḥ tān = then drown; samīkṣya vai = watch.
O beloved child of the Raghus, Asamañja, the eldest prince born of Sagara, would daily catch small boys, dip them in the water of the Sarayū, watch them drown, stand and laugh at them.