Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 9: Conversation Between Sumantra and Daśaratha
Text 1.9.10
भवन्तः श्रुतधर्माणो लोकचारित्रवेदिनः।
समादिशन्तु नियमं प्रायश्चित्तं यथा भवेत्॥
bhavantaḥ śruta-dharmāṇo loka-cāritra-vedinaḥ
samādiśantu niyamaṁ prāyaścittaṁ yathā bhavet
bhavantaḥ = all of you; śruta-dharmāṇaḥ = have learnt about Vedic dharma; loka-cāritra-vedinaḥ = and you know about the behavior of people; samādiśantu = therefore, please instruct me; niyamam = about the duties I should carry out; prāyaścittam = an atonement for my sin, the root cause of this drought; yathā = so that; bhavet = there is.
All of you have learnt about Vedic dharma and you know about the behavior of people. Therefore, please instruct me about the duties I should carry out so that there is an atonement for my sin, the root cause of this drought.