Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 9: Conversation Between Sumantra and Daśaratha
Text 1.9.11
वक्ष्यन्ति ते महीपालं ब्राह्मणा वेदपारगाः।
विभण्डकसुतं राजन्सर्वोपायैरिहानय॥
vakṣyanti te mahī-pālaṁ brāhmaṇā veda-pāragāḥ
vibhaṇḍaka-sutaṁ rājan sarvopāyair ihānaya
vakṣyanti = will reply; te = the; mahī-pālam = to that king; brāhmaṇāḥ = brāhmaṇas; veda-pāragāḥ = who have thoroughly studied the Vedas; vibhaṇḍaka-sutam = the son of Vibhaṇḍaka; rājan = O king; sarva-upāyaiḥ = by all means; iha = here; anaya = bring.
The brāhmaṇas who have thoroughly studied the Vedas will reply to that king: O king, bring the son of Vibhaṇḍaka here by all means.
1 Kanyā in this context refers to one’s virgin daughter prior to her attainment of puberty. Śāntā was King Romapāda’s kanyā.
Considering that the greatest atonement is to give one’s kanyā in charity to a pure brahmacārī, they will speak as noted here.1