The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki 1.10: daśamaḥ sargaḥ

'Again, O best of kings, give ear:
My saving words attentive hear,
And listen to the tale of old
By that illustrious Bráhman told,
'Of famed Ikshváku's line shall spring
('Twas thus he spoke) a pious king,
Named Das'aratha, good and great,
True to his word and fortunate.
He with the Angas' mighty lord
Shall ever live in sweet accord,
And his a daughter fair shall be,
S'ántá of happy destiny.
But Lomapád, the Angas' chief,
Still pining in his childless grief,
To Das'aratha thus shall say:
'Give me thy daughter, friend, I pray,
Thy S'ántá of the tranquil mind,
The noblest one of womankind.'

“Born in the line of the Ikṣvākus there will be an exceedingly righteous
king named Daśaratha, glorious and true to his promise.

And there will be friendship between that king and the king of Aṅga;
and he will have a highly fortunate daughter named Śāntā.

The son of the king of Aṅga, however, is renowned as Lomapāda;
to him that king, the highly renowned Daśaratha, will go.

‘O righteous one, I am childless; commanded by you, may the husband
of Śāntā perform my sacrifice for the sake of the continuation of my lineage.’

The father, swift to feel for woe,
Shall on his friend his child bestow;
And he shall take her and depart
To his own town with joyous heart.
The maiden home in triumph led,
To Rishyas'ring the king shall wed.
And he with loving joy and pride
Shall take her for his honoured bride.
And Das'aratha to a rite
That best of Bráhmans shall invite
With supplicating prayer,
To celebrate the sacrifice
To win him sons and Paradise,
That he will fain prepare.

And having received that brāhmaṇa, the king, freed from anguish,
will perform that sacrifice with a delighted inner self.

And King Daśaratha, desirous of sacrificing, with joined palms,
will choose Ṛśyaśṛṅga, the best of the twice-born, knower of dharma.

From him the lord of men at length
The boon he seeks shall gain,
And see four sons of boundless strength
His royal line maintain.'
'Thus did the godlike saint of old
The will of fate declare,
And all that should befall unfold
Amid the sages there.
O Prince supreme of men, go thou,
Consult thy holy guide,
And win, to aid thee in thy vow,
This Bráhman to thy side.'
Sumantra's counsel, wise and good,
King Das'aratha heard,
Then by Vas'ishtha's side he stood
And thus with him conferred:
'Sumantra counsels thus: do thou
My priestly guide, the plan allow.'
Vas'ishtha gave his glad consent,
And forth the happy monarch went
With lords and servants on the road
That led to Rishyas'ring's abode.
Forests and rivers duly past,
He reached the distant town at last
Of Lomapád the Angas' king,
And entered it with welcoming.
On through the crowded streets he came,
And, radiant as the kindled flame,
He saw within the monarch's house
The hermit's son most glorious.
There Lomapád, with joyful breast,
To him all honour paid,
For friendship for his royal guest
His faithful bosom swayed.
Thus entertained with utmost care
Seven days, or eight, he tarried there,
And then that best men thus broke
His purpose to the king, and spoke:
'O King of men, mine ancient friend,
(Thus Das'aratha prayed)
Thy S'antá with her husband send
My sacrifice to aid.
Said he who ruled the Angas, Yea,
And his consent was won:
And then at once he turned away
To warn the hermit's son.
He told him of their ties beyond
Their old affection's faithful bond:
'This king,' he said, 'from days of old
A well beloved friend I hold.
To me this pearl of dames he gave
From childless woe mine age to save,
The daughter whom he loved so much,
Moved by compassion's gentle touch.
In him thy S'antá's father see:
As I am even so is he.
For sons the childless monarch yearns:
To thee alone for help he turns.
Go thou, the sacred rite ordain
To win the sons he prays to gain:
Go, with thy wife thy succour lend,
And give his vows a blissful end.'
The hermit's son with quick accord
Obeyed the Angas' mighty lord,
And with fair S'antá at his side
To Das'aratha's city hied.
Each king, with suppliant hands upheld,
Gazed on the other's face:
And then by mutual love impelled
Met in a close embrace.
Then Das'aratha's thoughtful care,
Before he parted thence,
Bade trusty servants homeward bear
The glad intelligence:
'Let all the town be bright and gay
With burning incense sweet;
Let banners wave, and water lay
The dust in every street,'
Glad were the citizens to learn
The tidings of their lord's return,
And through the city every man
Obedienly his task began.
And fair and bright Ayodhyá showed,
As following his guest he rode
Through the full streets where shell and drum
Proclaimed aloud the king was come.
And all the people with delight
Kept gazing on their king,
Attended by that youth so bright,
The glorious Rishyas'ring.
When to his home the king had brought
The hermit's saintly son,
He deemed that all his task was wrought,
And all he prayed for won.
And lords who saw that stranger dame
So beautiful to view,
Rejoiced within their hearts, and came
And paid her honour too.
There Rishyasring passed blissful days,
Graced like the king with love and praise
And shone in glorious light with her,
Sweet S'ántá, for his minister,
As Brahmá's son Vas'ishtha, he
Who wedded Saint Arundhati.

And he will have four sons of unmeasured prowess,
who will establish his lineage and be renowned in all the worlds.”

Thus that best of gods, the lord, venerable Sanatkumāra,
formerly narrated this story in the age of the gods.

Therefore, O tiger among men, O great king, having gone yourself
with your army and vehicles, bring him well honoured.

Having obtained the assent of Vasiṣṭha and heard the words of the charioteer,
he set out with his inner quarters and his ministers to where that twice-born was.

Gradually crossing forests and rivers,
he approached that region where indeed the bull among sages was.

Having arrived, he first saw that best of the twice-born, the son of the ṛṣi,
present near Lomapāda, blazing like fire.

Then the king duly showed him honour in a special manner,
out of friendship with that king, with a delighted inner self.

And when the friendship and alliance were recounted to the wise son of the ṛṣi
by Lomapāda, he then honoured him in return.

Thus well honoured by him, having dwelt together for seven or eight days,
the king, the bull among men, spoke these words to the king:

“O king, lord of the people, let your daughter Śāntā, together with her husband,
go to my city; for a great undertaking is prepared.”

Saying “So be it,” having agreed to the departure of that wise one,
the king spoke these words to the brāhmaṇa: “Go with your wife.”

Assenting, the son of the ṛṣi said “So be it” to the king then;
permitted by the king, he departed with his wife.

Having made joined palms to each other and embraced with affection chest to chest,
Daśaratha and the valorous Lomapāda rejoiced.

Then taking leave of his friend, the delighter of the Raghus set forth;
he sent swift-moving messengers to the citizens:
“Let the entire city be decorated at once!”

Then those delighted citizens, hearing that the king had arrived,
carried out everything just as was sent by the king then.

Then the king entered the well-decorated city,
placing the bull among the twice-born ahead, to the sounds of conches and kettledrums.

Then all the citizens rejoiced upon seeing that twice-born
being brought in with honour by the lord of men who acted like Indra.

Having led him into the inner quarters and worshipped him according to the scriptures,
he considered himself accomplished in purpose through bringing him.

All [the women of] the inner quarters, seeing the large-eyed Śāntā
arrived thus with her husband, attained joy and delight.

Being honoured by them, and especially by the king,
she dwelt happily there for some time together with the twice-born.